Costliest Paintings in India

You’ve heard of the Mona Lisa and The Scream but do you know the costliest paintings in India?

It’s amazing and ridiculous as well to the lengths that art lovers go for purchasing paintings. Well, not just art lovers, but art lovers with a fat pocket. A few strokes and splashes of colors on a canvas and behold, it’s worth 20 crores! Art, like anything else, requires a certain taste and skill to truly acknowledge and appreciate what the artist was trying to convey. Apart from abstract art, Indian art includes several mythological instances, unique Indian styles, historical images and reflections of Indian society. You have to agree that not all of us can comprehend abstract images and strange shapes. We might not be willing to pay even 1000 bucks for such works but let’s now look at the list of paintings that were sold for crores. Listed below are some of the most expensive Indian paintings ever sold. 

Birth by Francis Newton Souza

Birth is one of the most renowned works of Indian art painted by Goa- born artist, Francis Newton Souza in 1955. This is an oil on board painting that represents the pain experienced by a pregnant woman while she is in labor. Along with her nude body, we see a priest-like man who is probably assisting her. In the background, we see the window, open to the sights of London. Most of Souza’s works included themes on the dark and unspoken side of society. He painted Birth after he moved to London. It was sold for a whopping 26.9 crore rupees in 2015 at Christie’s, New York. 

Untitled by VS Gaitonde

VS Gaitonde was India’s foremost abstract artist who painted several untitled works during his life. One of his untitled paintings completed in 1979 caught the eye of all collectors worldwide after it was sold for Rs 23 crores at Christie’s first Indian auction in 2013. After this feat, his paintings were eagerly sought after. Although his paintings displayed an abstract style, he referred to it as a collection of personalized calligraphic and symbolic techniques. 

Mahishasura by Tyeb Mehta

Painted by Tyeb Mehta, one of the finest artists of this century, the Mahishasura series has become popular worldwide. He painted the same subject several times; a demon king mating with she buffalo to produce a son. Most of the versions have been sold for huge sums but the costliest one was the 1994 version sold in 2013. 

La Terre Sayed Haider Raza

La Terre, which means ‘The Earth’, is a series of paintings by Sayed Haider Raza completed between 1970 – 1980. He was influenced by the mysteries and powers of nature and depicted them using strong colors on his canvas. The 1973 version of La Terre was sold at Rs 18 crores in 2013. He was drawn to the rich Indian heritage and in his works, he attempted to display the dark beauty of the Indian forests. 

Self-portrait Amrita Sher Gil

Amrita Sher Gil, considered to be the greatest woman painter of India and a pioneer of modern art, was breaking barriers from the age of 18 by producing her bold series of self-portraits. Her paintings were static images of herself with a strong sensual hint, brushed with her palette of vibrant colors. Two of her self-portraits, completed in 1931 were sold for Rs 17 crores in 2015 by Christie’s.