LONDON: A rare oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi, believed to be the only portrait he ever sat for, was sold at Bonhams’ online auction on Tuesday for a staggering £152,800 (approx. ₹1.7 crore), tripling its estimated value.
Titled “Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi”, the artwork by British artist Clare Leighton had been expected to sell for £50,000–£70,000 (₹57 lakh to ₹80 lakh), but surpassed expectations as the top lot in Bonhams’ Travel and Exploration sale. This was the first time the portrait had appeared at auction.
According to Leighton’s family, the portrait was displayed publicly in 1974 when it was reportedly attacked with a knife by a Hindu right-wing activist. The auction catalogue notes visible signs of restoration due to tears in the canvas from that incident.
Leighton painted Gandhi during his 1931 visit to London for the Second Round Table Conference. She gained access to him through her then-partner, political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford, a fervent supporter of India’s independence. This connection allowed her the rare opportunity to observe and paint Gandhi in person at his office.
Later that year, in November 1931, Leighton exhibited her portraits—including that of Gandhi—at the Albany Galleries in London. Among the attendees was journalist Winifred Holtby, who vividly described the portrait: “The little man squats bare-headed, in his blanket, one finger raised, as it often is to emphasize a point, his lips parted for a word that is almost a smile… the statesman who knows just how to play on the psychology of friends and enemies alike.”
The portrait remains not only a rare artistic achievement but also a historic glimpse into a moment when the Father of the Nation engaged with the world during India’s struggle for freedom.
