At an auction conducted by Christie’s in Mumbai yesterday, an untitled painting from 1995 by Vasudeo S Gaitonde fetched a staggering Rs 29.3 crore, breaking the world record that had been set earlier this year in New York by a Francis Newton Souza work called Birth, which went for Rs 26.9 crore. Gaitonde, who died in 2001, had held the record previously as well, when another untitled piece from 1979 sold for Rs 23.7 crore at Christie’s first ever Indian sale. Here’s a list of the five most expensive Indian paintings sold at auction – incidentally, all were sold at Christie’s events. Another tidbit – the top 20 most expensive Indian paintings have come from the hands of either Tyeb Mehta, VS Gaitonde, FN Souza, SH Raza or Amrita Sher-Gil.
Untitled by VS Gaitonde (Rs 29.3 crore)
Birth by FN Souza (Rs 26.9 crore)
Untitled by VS Gaitonde (Rs 23.7 crore)
Mahishasura by Tyeb Mehta (Rs 19.7 crore)
La Terre by SH Raza (Rs 18.6 crore)
