The auction brought together leading names in Modern Indian art, with several works achieving standout prices
Power Players: Top 50 Artists Generate Over ₹2,226 Crore
A total of 1,881 lots sold at auction mark a robust 2025 for Indian art’s elite
In a rising market, the Top 50 Indian artists generated a total turnover of ₹2,226.8 crore at auction in 2025, re-staking their claim toward the $1 billion mark. They sold 1,881 total lots, achieving an average price of ₹1.18 crore per work.
Topping the leaderboard was M.F. Husain at ₹465.8 crore, followed by Tyeb Mehta at ₹305.4 crore, F.N. Souza at ₹268.1 crore, S.H. Raza at ₹142.1 crore, and V.S. Gaitonde at ₹110.1 crore. The Top 3 alone accounted for ₹1,039.3 crore.
Further down, Jehangir Sabavala reached ₹92.3 crore, J. Swaminathan ₹85.2 crore, Krishen Khanna ₹59.6 crore, Ram Kumar ₹50.3 crore, and Manjit Bawa ₹49.7 crore. Amrita Sher-Gil hit ₹44.7 crore, Bhupen Khakhar ₹34.3 crore, Akbar Padamsee ₹33.8 crore, Anish Kapoor ₹31.1 crore, and N.S. Bendre ₹31.0 crore.
The list continued with Raja Ravi Varma at ₹23.1 crore, Rabindranath Tagore ₹22.6 crore, Ganesh Pyne ₹19.8 crore, and others like K.H. Ara, Arpita Singh, Thota Vaikuntam, Nalini Malani, Somnath Hore, Jamini Roy, and more down to Subodh Gupta.
This scale signals structural robustness, with Modern art leading despite Contemporary growth.
Read the full story in the premiere issue of LuxeTrope, on stands now.
Read More
India's art market has grown nearly 200-fold in 25 years, fuelled by record-breaking auctions and rising collector confidence
While India's iconic Progressives continue to dominate the market, a new wave of artists is rewriting auction records
Art historian, curator, and director of The Al Thani Collection, Dr. Amin Jaffer believes great collections are built on stories that connect cultures across time
Ornamentation in Indian art tells stories of power, identity and cultural memory
From Mughal jewels to ancient sculptures, 'Animalia' explores humanity's enduring fascination with the animal kingdom through rare works from The Al Thani Collection