MF Hussain’s Painting Fetches Rs 118 Crore, Sets Record as Most Expensive
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a historic sale, M.F. Hussain’s painting Untitled (Gram Yatra) was sold for $13.8 million (approximately Rs 118 crore) at a public auction at Christie's in New York, making it the highest price ever received for a modern Indian artwork at auction.
The initial estimated price of the artwork was between $2.5 million to $3.5 million, but it sold for four times more than expected. The buyer of the painting remains anonymous. This sale surpasses the previous record held by Hussain’s Untitled (Reincarnation), which fetched $3.1 million in September 2023. The record for the most expensive modern Indian artwork was previously held by Amrita Shergill’s The Story Teller (1937), which was sold for $7.4 million in Mumbai in September 2023. The auction of Untitled (Gram Yatra) marked the first time in 70 years that this 1954 painting was made available to the public.
The painting, which is about 14 feet long, depicts 13 different scenes representing rural life in post-independence India. The artwork was originally purchased in 1954 by Norwegian general surgeon and art collector Leon Elias Volodarsky and was later donated to Oslo University Hospital, where it remained in a private neuroscience corridor. Christie's South Asian modern and contemporary art department head, Nishad Avari, emphasized the painting’s importance in reflecting the centrality of rural India in post-independence art and culture.
Avari noted that the farmer featured in the painting, crossing a rural scene, could be considered a self-portrait of Hussain, symbolizing the protector and nurturer of the land. The farmer’s representation ties into the themes of the painting and the symbolism of India’s modern identity.
Bringing Untitled (Gram Yatra) to auction took 13 years. When the hospital decided to sell it, Christie's promptly sought approval and completed the necessary process. The funds from the auction will be used to establish a medical training center in Dr. Volodarsky’s name.
This groundbreaking sale highlights the increasing global demand for modern Indian art and underscores the continued legacy of M.F. Hussain, whose works continue to set new records in the art world.
