L Munuswamy was born in 1927 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of In Harmony (1960), offered in the Historical Series III by Osian's, which concluded on 24 November 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹18,00,000 ($40,116). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

In 2003, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1962), offered in the Fn-Fn: Figurative Non-Figurative Narration: Auctions of Indian Modern & Contemporary Paintings & Books by Osian's, which concluded on 27 November 2003 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹1,10,000 ($2,397). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Poised For Combat (1962), offered in the Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 01 March 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹10,92,500 ($24,634). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Animals (1961), the most dramatic of Munuswamy’s compositions from this period, points to his growing confidence in his abilities. It could be called Munuswamy’s homage to Cubism, for he has broken up the image in neatly placed areas of colour that jostle with rhythm and energy conveying the idea perhaps of one animal about to mount the other, but this is not entirely clear. It may or may not be a bull. The two animals could just as well be packhorses bumping into each other on a trek across the mountainside. It’s a dramatic composition, the whites and orange-reds standing out against the green of the hillside, the entire piece held together by black brush strokes that reign the image, creating a magnificent montage of shapes and colour.

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Animals In Composition (1962), offered in the Historical Series III by Osian's, which concluded on 24 November 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹22,80,000 ($50,813). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

He sees the whole panorama of landscape – birds, animals, vegetation, the sun, moon and the water – as a lyrical symphony, full of crisscrossing, overlapping as well as parallel lines, ultimately creating a picture of harmony. His landscapes are sometimes blocks of colour, combined with lines, both delicate and heavy, interspersed actually to create a dramatic solid vision. Where the landscapes have trees and lakes with the reflection of the sun, the reflection is controlled with geometric lines, straight as well as curved. Here one can see the effect of the Indian miniatures, the entire composition is tied firmly with vertical, horizontal and oblique lines. The animals are solid, yet the figures are so delicately woven as though embroidered on a tapestry.

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Animal & Rider (1963), offered in the Indian Contemporary Art: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture by Osian's, which concluded on 09 February 2005 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹8,05,000 ($18,446). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.