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India’s art market expands from entry-level lots to masterpieces

India’s art market expands from entry-level lots to masterpieces
From ₹1 lakh lots to ₹100 crore masterpieces: How India’s art market is broadening · businesstoday.in

India’s art market is growing at both the affordable and very expensive ends.

In 2025, auction houses offered more than 5,000 artworks and sold about 80% of them.

Many buyers purchased works priced between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh.

Some buyers also bought art costing less than ₹1 lakh.

This suggests that newer and smaller collectors are joining the market.

At the same time, famous paintings by major Indian artists sold for tens or even hundreds of crores.

Paintings made up most of the market’s total value.

The report says this combination is making India’s art market broader and more valuable.

Its figures cover public auctions, not private or primary-market sales.

Key facts

2025 auction turnover
₹2,543 crore, up from ₹792 crore in 2015
Lots offered and sold
5,059 offered; 4,057 sold
Sell-through rate
80% in 2025
Most active price segment
₹1 lakh–₹10 lakh, with 1,699 lots sold
Painting sales
₹2,279 crore; paintings represented 47.5% of lots sold
Highest-priced work cited
Raja Ravi Varma’s Yashoda and Krishna sold for ₹167.2 crore
Market coverage
The report covers public auctions and excludes private sales, primary-market transactions, and unsold or withdrawn lots

Sources

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