The Top 10 Living Artists by Turnover at Auction

Even as India’s art market captivates global audiences, the landscape at auction has thrown up some surprises. From January to December 2025, while Masters’ works rooted in legacy have outperformed expectations, some Contemporary artists’ works have also made major strides.

With lots commanding admiration and demand, Krishen Khanna retained the spot as the top living artist in both turnover and lots sold in 2025. With 145 lots sold at auction, Khanna’s artworks fetched a total turnover of ₹59.6 crore ($6.77 million) across top auction companies in 2025. The year also saw a new world record for the artist for The Last Supper, which was sold for ₹10.22 crore ($1.16 million) by AstaGuru. Khanna is followed by Sakti Burman, whose surrealist works and landscapes continued to find loyal admirers. His total turnover at auction was ₹40.8 crore ($4.64 million), which includes an oil on canvas painting titled Durga, sold for ₹4.15 crore ($471,590) by AstaGuru.

Acclaimed sculptor Anish Kapoor’s works clocked in third in terms of turnover in 2025, selling 44 lots at auction for ₹31.1 crore ($3.53 million). His stainless steel and resin sculptures found a consistent demand building on the gains made in 2024. The ever-experimental Arpita Singh continued to appeal to collectors, and her works came in fourth in turnover with ₹17.2 crore ($1.95 million). A 1996 untitled watercolour on paper work sold for ₹40.8 lakh ($46,363)—the same work was auctioned by AstaGuru in September 2024 for ₹29.5 lakh ($33,522). Singh was followed by Thota Vaikuntam, with a turnover at auction of ₹15.3 crore ($1.74 million) across the top auction houses, while he sold the third highest number of lots at 74 for a living artist. Inspired by life in rural Telangana, an impressive acrylic on canvas, Untitled (Temple Wedding), sold for ₹2.96 crore ($336,363) in 2025.

Read the full story in the premiere issue of LuxeTrope, on stands now.