Auction Overview
Saffronart announced that its Autumn Auctions, comprising a live sale on 19 September and an online sale on 21‑22 September, achieved a total realised value of INR 250.58 crore (approximately USD 26.37 million) across 200 lots. The live component contributed INR 218.62 crore (USD 23.01 million) while the online component added INR 31.97 crore (USD 3.36 million). The combined events set ten new artist records, underscoring robust demand for modern, contemporary and historical Indian art.
Live Auction Highlights
The live sale’s marquee piece was F N Souza’s 1965 work “Hanuman the Monkey God” (lot 13), which sold for INR 15.60 crore (USD 1.64 million), establishing the highest‑value individual work on paper by the artist ever achieved at auction worldwide. Other record‑setting sales included Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar’s 1899 painting “Shri Mahalakshmi” at INR 14.10 crore (USD 1.48 million), A Ramachandran’s 1996 “Kurma Avatar with Savita and Aparajita Flowers” at INR 8.64 crore (USD 909,474), G Ravinder Reddy’s 2011‑12 untitled piece at INR 4.68 crore (USD 492,632), Sohan Qadri’s untitled work at INR 3.84 crore (USD 404,211), Satish Gujral’s 1988 untitled at INR 3.12 crore (USD 328,421), Jangarh Singh Shyam’s 1999 “Bel Mukhota (Gond)” at INR 2.88 crore (USD 303,158), and H A Gade’s 1948 “Steps – Omkareshwar” which fetched INR 96 lakh (USD 101,053), eight times its higher estimate, setting a new world‑record for the artist.
Online Auction Highlights
The online sale produced notable results such as Jagdish Swaminathan’s 1978 untitled work (lot 149) selling for INR 4.20 crore (USD 442,105), more than twice its higher estimate. Other record‑breaking online sales included Standing Sridevi’s 16th‑century “Vijayanagara Dynasty” piece at INR 78 lakh (USD 82,105), A A Almekar’s untitled work at INR 60 lakh (USD 63,158) – four times its higher estimate, Haku Shah’s 2007 untitled at INR 33.60 lakh (USD 35,368), and several other works that set new auction‑price benchmarks for their respective artists.
Management Commentary
Dinesh Vazirani, CEO and Co‑Founder of Saffronart, stated that the strong response to both the live and online sales extends the momentum the company has experienced through 2026 and reflects continued confidence among collectors in Indian art across categories and generations. He emphasized the firm’s focus on presenting exceptional works to a global collector base and contributing to market growth.
About Saffronart
Founded in 2000 by Minal and Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart is a leading Indian auction house with flagship galleries in Mumbai and additional offices in New Delhi, London and New York. The firm, together with its e‑commerce platform StoryLTD, has conducted over 700 auctions and is recognized for transparency, global benchmarks in online auctions, and a Harvard Business School case study published in 2005. Saffronart also provides private sales, appraisals, valuations, exhibitions and panel discussions, working closely with collectors, gallerists and artists to strengthen the Indian art market.