Village Stories and Auction Surprises: Husain’s Gram Yatra Shakes Up New York

A 14-foot panorama of rural India, painted by Maqbool Fida Husain in 1954, just rewrote the record books at Christie’s New York. Untitled (Gram Yatra) fetched a staggering $13.75 million—over four times its highest estimate—making it the most expensive modern Indian artwork ever sold at auction. This monumental piece, hidden from public view for decades, strings together 13 scenes of village life, capturing the pulse of a newly independent nation. Its journey from the collection of Leon Elias Volodarsky to the auction spotlight mirrors the growing global appetite for 20th-century Indian art. Husain, a post-independence modernist icon, now outpaces even Amrita Sher-Gil’s celebrated The Story Teller, which set its own record just months ago. As collectors chase these rare canvases, Indian modernism is no longer a quiet story—it’s a headline act on the world stage. #IndianArt #MFHusain #ArtAuctions #Culture