Sotheby’s returns to India for Mumbai auctions

Sotheby’s is to hold an auction in Mumbai in December. A highlight of the sale is Tyeb Mehta’s ‘Durga Mahisasura Mardini’ (1993). The painting, commissioned from the artist in 1993, has remained in a private collection since. Two out of the three highest prices for the artist have been set at auction within the last year and his current auction record stands at US$3.6m. Image: © Sotheby's.

• Laura Chesters
  
• 10 Apr 2018

It plans a sale in December at The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

Sotheby’s first entered the auction market in India 30 years ago but this was short-lived. In 2016 it opened an office in Mumbai and has now decided to relaunch auctions.

Jan Prasens, Sotheby’s managing director for Europe, Middle East, Russia and India, said: “In recent years, we have witnessed both the ever-growing presence of Indian collectors in Sotheby’s global auctions, and the development of an increasingly vibrant domestic Indian art market. Given these promising signs, and the projected economic growth for India in the future, it is the right time for Sotheby’s to further expand.”

The December sale will be called Boundless: Mumbai featuring works by both south Asian and western artists across modern and contemporary south Asian art, photography, prints, and design.