LONDON.- Sotheby’s Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art auction in London totaled £19.8 million / $26.2 million, with a 99% sell-through rate and 89% of works sold above their high estimate. The auction marks the department’s highest total in its more than 30-year history, surpassing the previous record achieved in London in September 2025.*

Manjari Sihare-Sutin, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, said: “This has been an extraordinary sale for the department — our highest total in history, surpassing the record we set in London only last year. With nine new artist records, the results reflect both the depth of the market and the increasingly international appreciation for South Asian art. We are particularly thrilled by the result for Bhupen Khakhar’s ‘Old Men Playing Chess’, a seminal work from his historic 1972 exhibition. Coming to us from his Estate, it was a painting we believed in deeply, and to see the market respond with such conviction is immensely gratifying. Above all, today's outcome demonstrated the breadth of this field — from Husain and Raza to Bhupen and Tagore, and to artists whose markets are only now receiving the recognition they deserve. For us, that is what is most exciting: not simply seeing the market grow, but seeing the story of South Asian art itself become broader, richer and more international.”

Key Facts & Figures:

• Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art: £19,754,736 / $26,179,964 (est. £4.1-5.7m / $5.4-7.6m)

• Strong sell-through rate of 99%

• 89% of works sold above their high estimates

• Nine world auction records (full list below)

• Global participation, with activity from India and across South Asia, North America and Europe





Breakdown of top results below:

• The auction was led by Sayed Haider Raza's Paysage Rouge which sold for £3,750,000 / $4,969,688, ten times its high estimate (£250,000-350,000).

• Bhupen Khakhar's Old Men Playing Chess quadrupled its high estimate to achieve £3,140,000 / $4,161,285 (est. £500,000-700,000), a new auction record for the artist and testament to its status as the last painting from the artist's seminal 1972 exhibition in Bombay to have remained in the Khakhar estate.

• Maqbool Fida Husain's Mithuna Crimson also soared over estimate to bring £2,650,000 / $3,514,563 (est. £400,000-600,000). The work was formerly in the distinguished collection of Chester and Davida Herwitz - the pioneering American collectors who played an important role in establishing an international audience for modern Indian art - and was last offered at auction more than a quarter of a century ago.

• Coming to market with exceptional provenance, Rabindranath Tagore's Untitled (Head of a Woman) realised £1,024,000 / $1,357,056 (est. £270,000-350,000), an auction record for the artist and more than twelve times the $104,500 the work made on its first appearance at auction at Sotheby’s New York in 2008.

• A selection of works by Sayed Haider Raza was led by Germination. Making its auction debut, the painting achieved £704,000 / $932,976 (est. £220,000-280,000).

• Fresh to auction, having been acquired directly from the artist in 2003, shortly after it was painted, Manjit Bawa's Untitled (Apple Cutter) brought £704,000 / $932,976 (est. £200,000-300,000).

Further Standout Moments:

• An Untitled work by Husain capturing the bustling environment that the artist encountered in Benares, soared over estimate to achieve £537,600 / $712,454 (est. £100,000-150,000).

• The spirit of competitive bidding throughout the sale was set from the opening lot, when Francis Newton Souza's Head far exceeded its estimate to bring £435,200 / $576,749 (est. £60,000-80,000).

• Making its auction debut, Gaganendranath Tagore’s Untitled (Indian Temple Scene) soared to more than 15 times its high estimate, achieving £115,200 / $152,669 (est. £6,000 - 8,000). The work was first acquired in India in the early 20th century, having descended through the same family collection until its sale.

• Zarina’s Spaces to Hide from 1980 commanded £256,000 / $339,264, against an estimate of £50,000-70,000.

• A set of five watercolours by Madhvi Parekh eclipsed their pre-sale estimate of £5,000-7,000, realising £48,640 / $64,460.

• Appearing at auction for the first time, Souza’s Landscape with Church more than quadrupled its estimate, achieving £704,00 / $932,976 (est. £100,000-150,000).

• Tree Spirit II, a bronze sculpture by Dhruva Mistry, climbed to a record £108,800 / $144,187 (est. £12,000-18,000).

• A group of works by Bangladeshi artists performed strongly, led by an Untitled work by Rashid Choudhury, which sold for £70,400 / $93,298 (est. £20,000-30,000) and an Untitled painting by Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, which achieved £33,280 / $44,104 (est. £20,000-30,000).

New Auction Benchmarks Achieved by:

• Mohan Sharma (Interior, Lot 10 )
• Bhupen Khakhar (Old Men Playing Chess, Lot 14)
• Hugo Vilfred Pedersen (Untitled (The Pride of Asia), Lot 31)
• Olinto Ghilardi (Untitled, Lot 32)
• Antonio Piedade da Cruz (Untitled (Tagore and His Muse), Lot 33)
• Rabindranath Tagore (Untitled (Head of a Woman), Lot 34)
• Sunayani Devi (Untitled, Lot 35)
• Gopal Ghose (Untitled (Set of 2), Lot 39)
• Dhruva Mistry (Tree Spirit II, Lot 59)

*Sotheby’s previous highest total in the category: £18.9m / $25.5m (London, September 2025)