Portrait of F.N. Souza
Oil on DALER canvas board. 10x 12 ins F.N. Souza, a well known Goan artist, who died in 2002, lived in London in the 60's. I met him, knew him as "Sonny" , saw his paintings and was inspired to begin to paint myself. I did this portrait of him in 1965 which he inscribed with "A true and faithful likeness of me. F.N. Souza - July 1965". Today, I wish to pay homage to this great artist, a simple man, an independent thinker - who unknowingly influenced me to create my own world. From 2000 - 2002, the National Portrait Gallery in London agreed to keep the painting in their vault for consideration to purchase by the trustees. I was disappointed that they could not make up their minds as I wanted the painting to be in a public space. In 2007, the Tate dedicated a room to Souza and in 2008, his work entitled "BIRTH" sold at Christie's International in London for $2.5 million.

Artist: F.N. Souza