Bhupen Khakhar’s Two Men in Benares fetched a whopping Rs 22.39 crore at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art auction on Monday, setting a brand new record for the artist. AdvertisingThe 1982 work became the most expensive painting by Khakhar, leaving behind his De-luxe Tailors (1972) that sold for Rs 9.71 crore at the Sotheby’s auction of Howard Hodgkin’s collection in 2017. In 1986, with the unveiling of Two Men in Benares in Mumbai, Khakhar became the first Indian artist to freely disclose his sexual orientation through his work. AdvertisingThe auction house said it was the “highest total achieved in a decade for a sale of this kind at Sotheby’s in London”. “These exceptional results are a fitting tribute to the pioneering spirit of Guy and Helen Barbier, who passionately sought out exceptional examples of Indian art at a time when few others thought to,” Ishrat Kanga, head of sale, said.

Source: Indian Express June 11, 2019 09:56 UTC