A monumental 1954 painting by MF Husain, Untitled (Gram Yatra), fetched a record-breaking $13.7 million at a Christie’s auction in New York on March 19, setting a new benchmark for Indian art. This marks the first time an Indian artwork has surpassed the INR100-crore mark, Indian media reported.
The painting, a tribute to rural and pastoral life in India, had been hidden from public view for over 70 years after being donated to Oslo University Hospital by Leon Elias Volodarsky, a Ukraine-born doctor and art collector, in 1964.
Volodarsky acquired the canvas during his time in Delhi in the mid-1950s as head of a World Health Organization team.
“We always anticipated that the work would perform well, but no one could have predicted such an outcome. It is certainly a landmark moment and continues the extraordinary upward trajectory of the modern and contemporary South Asian art market,” said Nishad Avari, Head of Department for Indian Art at Christie’s.
The work was originally exhibited in Delhi in 1954 before being transported to Europe, where it remained largely out of sight. Avari had been waiting for the opportunity to bring the piece to auction ever since a colleague notified him about its location at Oslo University Hospital about 13 years ago.
The painting has reportedly been acquired by Kiran Nadar, chairperson of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, following a heated bidding war. However, the museum has declined to comment on the sale.
Art historian Yashodhara Dalmia called the sale a "major breakthrough" for Indian art, adding, “I believe the work was originally purchased by Volodarsky for INR1,400.”
The previous record for modern Indian art was held by Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller, which sold for $7.4 million in 2023. Untitled (Gram Yatra) is widely regarded as one of Husain’s most iconic works, combining his bold palette, folk subjects, and cubist influences.
The painting’s 13 panels depict rural life, with scenes such as a man and woman riding a bullock-drawn cart and a woman dancing with a drummer.
“The remarkable scale, subject matter and period, widely regarded by art historians as Husain’s strongest, makes this one of his most seminal works, with the potential to reshape the scholarship on Husain’s early career,” said Avari.
The painting’s vibrant brushstrokes and fragmented forms reflect Husain's influences from Chinese art, cubism, and even Paul Klee, merging them with his unique style of depicting village life.
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