Christie’s sale confirms it: Indian art has arrived on the world stage

Source The American Bazaar by Jaswant Lalwani
The Indian art market has expanded dramatically — from roughly $2 million in 2000 to about $338 million by 2025. Forecasts project it could surpass $1 billion by 2030. Record-setting sales continue to reinforce this momentum: in 2023, Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller fetched $7.45 million, while in 2025, M.F. Husain’s Untitled (Gram Yatra) shattered that benchmark at $13.8 million. A rising pool of high-net-worth individuals in India, coupled with a growing domestic appetite for cultural investment — fueled by nostalgia, roots, and heritage — is reshaping the landscape. International visibility is following suit as more Indian artists appear in global auction catalogues, museum exhibitions, and art fairs. This evolution suggests a market graduating from adolescence to maturity. A generation ago, Indian art was regarded as peripheral — promising, but secondary to Euro-American categories. Today, it is widely viewed as an essential segment of global collecting, attracting museums, institutions, and private buyers alike. The challenge ahead for auction houses will be balance: curating tightly to satisfy seasoned collectors seeking top-tier works, while keeping the market open enough for new entrants whose enthusiasm continues to power its growth.
> read more