New York, Sep 12 (IANS): A rare canvas by artist Bhupen Khakhar, and works of artists Ram Kumar and Francis Newton Souza among others, will be auctioned here Sep 18 at the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale.

The canvas by Bhupen Khakhar is being given by a private collector and is from his early days. It hasn't appeared in any auction before.

This work defines a critical moment in his career as he developed a local and idiosyncratic language for pop art in India.

"We are thrilled to offer a curated selection of exceptional works ranging from important senior modern artists such as Bhupen Khakhar, to those rarely seen at auction, at a time of growing interest in the category," said Yamini Mehta, international director, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art.

There is an 'Untitled' 1961 landscape by Souza that has horizon of buildings painted tightly against each other in a staunchly cubist manner.

Also, there is artist Manjit Bawa's 'Apu', the mascot of the Asian Games hosted in Delhi in 1982. This painting was commissioned especially for the games, and the canvas is distinguished for its bright colours.

Then there is also K. Laxma Goud's drawing of a village women, in addition to six early works by Ram Kumar that have framed the spiritual essence of the holy city of Varanasi.