A forgotten masterpiece by legendary Indian artist MF Husain has set a new benchmark in Indian art history. Untitled (Gram Yatra), a massive 14-foot-wide oil-on-canvas mural, was rediscovered after decades and sold for an astounding $13.8 million (£10.6 million) at a Christie’s auction in New York last week. This shattered the previous record for Indian art, surpassing the $7.4 million (£5.7 million) fetched by Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller in 2023.
A Forgotten Gem Resurfaces
For nearly 50 years, this record-breaking painting quietly hung on the walls of a Norwegian hospital, unnoticed and undervalued. Originally painted in 1954—long before Husain became an icon—it is now recognized as a defining work of modern South Asian art. The mural, later named Gram Yatra (meaning “village journey”), comprises 13 vivid vignettes depicting rural Indian life, blending Indian folk traditions with modernist influences.
Husain’s use of vibrant, earthy tones brings these snapshots to life, portraying women engaged in daily activities such as cooking, caring for children, and riding a cart. A particularly striking frame features a farmer extending his arm, seemingly connecting to the land in the adjacent panel—a nod to India’s agrarian roots.
A Masterpiece Influenced by Travels
“If you’re looking for a single artwork that defines modern South Asian art, this is it,” said Nishad Avari, head of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art at Christie’s. He noted that Husain’s brushwork in Gram Yatra reflected influences from his 1952 trip to China, where he encountered the expressive calligraphy of Xu Beihong.
In the years following India’s independence, Husain sought artistic inspiration not in Western metropolises like Paris or New York, but in India’s villages—echoing Mahatma Gandhi’s vision that the nation’s soul resided in its rural heartland. His biographer, Akhilesh, noted that Husain’s deep engagement with India’s cultural fabric helped shape the country’s self-perception.
A Journey from Delhi to Oslo and Back to the Art World
The painting’s fascinating journey adds to its mystique. In 1954, Ukrainian doctor Leon Elias Volodarsky, who was in India on a World Health Organization (WHO) mission, purchased it for just $295. He later took it to Norway, where it remained at Oslo University Hospital for decades.
It wasn’t until 2013—two years after Husain’s death—that Christie’s was alerted to its existence, eventually leading to global exhibitions and its record-breaking sale.
Impact on Indian Art Market
Ashish Anand, CEO of DAG (formerly Delhi Art Gallery), believes this milestone will elevate the value of Husain’s entire body of work and reinforce Indian art’s status as both an aesthetic treasure and a serious financial asset.
Husain, a pioneer of Indian modernism, remains one of the country’s most celebrated artists despite the controversies that led him to leave India in 2006. His legacy continues to shape contemporary Indian art, and with this latest auction, his influence is now more globally recognized than ever before.