The global recognition of Indian art reached new heights as iconic artist M F Husain’s painting Untitled (Gram Yatra) was sold for a record-breaking $13.8 million (approximately ₹118 crore) at a Christie’s auction in New York. This marks the highest-ever auction price for a work of Modern Indian Art, surpassing previous records and reaffirming Husain’s legacy as a pioneer in the field.
A Historic Sale
The record-breaking sale has sparked excitement in the art world, with experts calling it a major moment for Indian modern art. The previous highest auction price for an Indian painting was held by Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller (1937), which sold for $7.1 million (about ₹61 crore) in 2023. Before Gram Yatra, Husain’s personal best was $3.1 million (about ₹26 crore) for Untitled (Reincarnation), sold last year.
According to reports, the Gram Yatra painting was acquired by renowned art collector and philanthropist Kiran Nadar, founder of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi and wife of billionaire businessman Shiv Nadar. The artwork’s base price was set at $2.5–3.5 million (₹21–30 crore), but intense bidding drove the final price far beyond expectations.
The Journey of ‘Gram Yatra’
The painting’s history dates back to 1954 when Norwegian doctor and art collector Leon Elias Volodarsky purchased it for ₹1,400 from an exhibition at the All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS) in New Delhi. At the time, Husain was a rising artist and a member of the Progressive Artists’ Group, which aimed to break free from rigid European artistic traditions and create a new Indian modern art movement. Volodarsky, who was in India for a World Health Organisation (WHO) mission, was captivated by the four-meter-long artwork depicting rural India and took it back to Oslo, Norway.
Impact on the Indian Art Market
The sale of Gram Yatra is expected to have a ripple effect across the Indian art market. “This is a 450% jump on Husain’s price record. The impact will percolate across all his artworks and Indian art in general,” said Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director of Delhi-based gallery DAG.
Husain’s rising value is also evident in recent sales, with many of his works exceeding estimated prices at auctions. The latest auction saw significant interest not just in Husain’s paintings but also in works by other Indian artists, including Sayed Haider Raza, Gulam Rasool Santosh, Sudhir Patwardhan, Jeram Patel, and B Prabha.
Husain’s Legacy: A Journey of Triumph and Controversy
Born in 1913 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, M F Husain started his artistic journey painting Bollywood billboards. He later became one of India’s most celebrated artists, known for his bold, modernist style and depiction of Indian culture. However, his work was not without controversy. Facing multiple legal cases and death threats for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, Husain went into self-imposed exile in 2006, living between London and Dubai until his death in 2011 at the age of 98.
Despite the controversies, Husain’s influence on Indian art remains unparalleled. His record-breaking sale at Christie’s further cements his position as one of the greatest artists of modern India and signals a growing global interest in Indian art.
Sources By Agencies
