Indian modern art 'stood test of time', sold for crores

New Delhi : Paintings by several Indian modernist painters and members of Bombay Progressive Artists' Group were sold at an Evening Sale by auction house Saffronart, with the leading artwork grossing more than Rs 15 crore.

The auction held here on Thursday saw a total sale value of Rs 42.5 crore. The live sale had art collectors and connoisseurs bidding on the works, with few online bids.Among others, works by V.S. Gaitonde, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee, and F.N. Souza were up for grabs.The sale was led by Gaitonde's "Untitled" work (1975), which sold for close to Rs 15.4 crore. Another work by Raza -- "Village en Provence" (1957) -- sold for close to Rs 4 crore, Saffronart said in a statement.Another painting grossing an amount close to Rs 5 crore was Husain's artwork "Mother Teresa" (1989).The Evening Sale results reflect the "continued global interest in modern Indian masters", Saffronart CEO Dinesh Wazirani said, adding that these works, created during a transformational period in Indian art history, have stood the test of time.