Global yatra of Indian art

The news that MF Husain’s ‘Gram Yatra’ had fetched an unprecedented Rs 118 crore at the Christie’s New York auction recently was received with joyous jubilation, especially when the Indian art fraternity learnt that the bidder was Kiran Nadar, a renowned art collector and philanthropist. Six decades ago, in 1954, a Ukrainian physician named Leon Elias Volodarsky, who was in Delhi to establish a thoracic surgery training centre for the World Health Organisation, had acquired the artwork for Rs 1,000 from the artist and carried it back with him when he left for Norway. Veteran artist Krishen Khanna, who was present when the transaction took place, recollected the moment in an interview. The work had remained at the hospital Volodarsky had bequeathed it to till they sold the painting at Christie’s. The rest is history.

A painting of 13 panels, ‘Gram Yatra’ was a magnificent composition celebrating the newly-Independent nation, the palette radiant with hope and optimism. This was indeed a befitting appreciation of the iconic painter who had begun his legendary career by painting billboards, before taking up a job in 1941 at the Fantasy Furniture Design shop where he earned Rs 25 a month. This success at the auction was followed by another when Tyeb Mehta’s canvas ‘Trussed Bull’, painted in 1956, fetched Rs 61.8 crore at a Saffronart auction, establishing a new world record for the country’s foremost modernist. Like Husain, Mehta too had modest beginnings, with his wife Sakina Mehta supporting him by working as a teacher, while he pursued his art.

Going by the recent robust results at the auctions, Indian art is now considered to be a worthy investment by international art institutions and collectors alike. When I visited London in the fall of 2024 for the annual Art Frieze, Indian galleries were making a mark with the diversity of the works they were showcasing. Major exhibitions, ranging from Chemould Prescott’s impressive solo of Nilima Sheikh to group shows mounted by other well-known galleries were showing Indian art, like Volte, Experimenter, Jhaveri Contemporary, Nature Morte, DAG Modern, Grosvenor, amongst others. Opening around the same time, ‘The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998’ was the Barbican’s spectacular exhibition curated by Shanay Jhaveri in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, which loaned a significant number of works to this seminal show. These were selected for their multiplicity and plurality.

Meanwhile, at 9 Cork Street, Vadehra Art Gallery was presenting Mumbai art practitioner Sudhir Patwardhan’s recent works titled ‘Cities: Built, Broken’, drawing art lovers to the space. In my conversations with Patwardhan, I could sense the renewed energy and purpose of the veteran artist, who was excited about the body of new works he was showing, as much as his participation at the Bengal Biennale, that was about to open in Kolkata-Santiniketan soon after.

Not just the seniors, young Purvai Rai, showing at a group exhibition, was thrilled to be able to exhibit during the Frieze season in London, getting opportunities to meet and interact with collectors and curators.

The vibe at the 60th Venice Biennale was no less India-centric, on account of two major exhibitions being held there. KNMA was presenting ‘The Rooted Nomad’ at the cavernous Magazzini De Sale, which was in parts an exhibition and an amazingly curated immersive experience, throwing impressions of the master’s works on the walls and floors, alongside a commentary on the visual presentation. It reiterated the curatorial theme ‘Foreigners Everywhere’, capturing the restless spirit of Husain and the experiences he gathered, as also “the many constellations of his work here, making us dwell upon the ideas of mobility, migration, moving across borders and beyond fixed boundaries”.

Showing alongside, at Salone Verde, was ‘Cosmic Garden’, presented by Karishma Swali and Chanakya School of Art, where paintings by Madhvi and Manu Parekh had been transformed into elaborately embroidered textile artworks. As an Indian, one could not have been prouder to experience the dizzying scale of the exhibitions and witness the excited response of the spectators, many seeing the works of these veteran painters for the first time. Meanwhile, at Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna, around the same time in November 2024, distinguished artist Mithu Sen opened her solo titled ‘A Prayer Unanswered’, making it a truly memorable year for Indian art and artists.

In the spring of 2025, Arpita Singh’s first solo show outside India, titled ‘Remembering’, opened to rave reviews at the Serpentine, London.

At a time when Indian art is receiving unprecedented critical attention internationally, it is only appropriate that Husain’s ‘Gram Yatra’ has made headlines with its auction records. Sharing the significance of the moment, Nishad Avari, head of the Department for South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, Christie’s, observes: “The sale of MF Husain’s monumental 1954 painting was a historic event in the art market, almost doubling the previous record for the highest price achieved by any modern South Asian artwork. The painting is one of the seminal works of the early phase of Husain’s oeuvre, painted in the early days of Independence, when he was actively seeking to define what modern Indian art was, and what it meant to be a modern Indian artist. A celebration of India, the spotlight it is now receiving is well deserved.”

While we must salute the master’s success at the auctions, what must also be celebrated with equal pride is the fact that the iconic painting, signifying an important period in our art history, has returned triumphantly to the country, to be a part of KNMA’s collection, which is open to art lovers universally.

— Puri is an art writer, independent curator, collector & documentarian

Arts