All Things Art You Cannot Miss This April

The Indian art scene is set for a bustling April 2026 with a series of high-profile exhibitions across major cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Key highlights include Subodh Gupta’s monumental installations at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, a photographic tribute to Bombay by Raghubir Singh at Jhaveri Contemporary, and the public viewing of Raja Ravi Varma’s iconic 'Yashoda and Krishna' at the ShowKeen exhibition. These shows span a diverse range of media, from Akanksha Patil’s introspective narratives on migration to Laila Khan Furniturewalla’s raw, expressive paintings.

Auction Record in India

Record aux enchères en Inde

The Indian art market has reached a new milestone with the sale of Raja Ravi Varma’s painting, 'Yashoda and Krishna,' which fetched $17.9 million (including fees) at a domestic auction. The masterpiece was acquired by the prominent industrialist Cyrus Poonawalla, setting a new world record for an Indian painting sold at auction.

$17.9 million Raja Ravi Varma painting sets new record for Indian painting at auction.

A painting by Raja Ravi Varma titled 'Yashoda and Krishna' sold for $17.9 million at a Saffronart auction in Delhi, setting a new auction record for an Indian painting. The buyer was pharmaceutical billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, founder of the Serum Institute of India.

India Modern Art Boom Spreads Through Spring Auctions

The Indian modern art market has reached a significant milestone as a 19th-century oil painting by Raja Ravi Varma sold for nearly $18 million at auction. The sale of 'Yashoda and Krishna' reportedly involved high-profile Indian tycoons from the pharmaceutical and consumer industries acting as both buyers and sellers, signaling a robust domestic appetite for blue-chip Indian masterpieces.

Raja Ravi Varma Becomes The Highest Value Modern Indian Artwork At Auction

Raja Ravi Varma’s 1890s masterpiece "Yashoda and Krishna" has set a new record for the most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction. During Saffronart’s Spring Live Auction, the painting fetched Rs 167.2 crore (approximately $18 million), far exceeding its pre-sale estimate of Rs 80–120 crore. The work was acquired by billionaire Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla, chairman of the Serum Institute of India, who has pledged to make the national treasure available for periodic public viewing.