M.F. Husain's 'Untitled (Gram Yatra)' Sets Record with $13.8M Auction Sale

The 1954 masterpiece, depicting rural Indian life, becomes the most expensive work of modern Indian art ever sold, with proceeds funding a medical training center.

The monumental 14-foot-long painting sold at Christie's in New York for $13.8 million, shattering its pre-auction estimate of $2.5–$3.5 million.
'Untitled (Gram Yatra)' is a 1954 oil-on-canvas artwork featuring 13 vignettes of Indian village life, created during the post-independence nation-building period.
The painting was originally acquired by Norwegian surgeon Leon Elias Volodarsky and remained unseen for over 70 years at Oslo University Hospital before being auctioned.
Proceeds from the sale will fund a medical training center in honor of Dr. Volodarsky, reflecting his legacy of philanthropy.
Speculation suggests the painting may have been purchased for the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, though this remains unconfirmed.