Wife of this billionaire buys MF Hussain’s painting for Rs 118 crore, details here

MF Hussain and his 1954 painting Gram Yatra

MF Hussain is a name synonymous with art, innovation and bold vision, depicting the myths, streets and emotions of India with fearless intensity. Unapologetic and bold, his artworks reflected a modern vision of contemporary narratives that remain relevant even today. While each artwork has garnered global attention by depicting a different side of India, one of the artworks in particular became famous for selling for a record price at auction.

Significant in terms of vision, the 14-metre-tall painting captured the pulse of rural India with unwavering self-confidence and fearless expression. The work, known as Gram Yatra, was sold for a staggering $13.8 million (approximately Rs 115 million) in New York, becoming the most expensive Indian painting ever sold at auction. But now the question arises: Who is the buyer?

Who bought MF Hussain’s most expensive painting?

While the auction house has kept the information under wraps, various reports from art industry insiders indicate that the buyer is Kiran Nadar, wife of billionaire Shiv Nadar, founder of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), India’s first private museum focusing on modern and contemporary art, and has purchased the masterpiece for her own museum. Kiran Nadar, one of India’s most influential art patrons, shared his view that art is a public good and not a private asset. Speaking to Financial Express, the artist said, “Art needs to be appreciated every day, not locked in as an investment.”

If this purchase is made by him, it would make this not only a historic and record-breaking event, but also a cultural milestone with long-term implications for the appreciation, preservation and global perception of Indian art.

All about painting

Gram Yatra, a 1954 painting, marks his early years as a professional painter. He began painting in the late 1930s, but this is one of his most ambitious and monumental works. This artwork was created at a time when India was still trying to learn its newfound identity as an independent country.

What distinguishes this work from other expressions of it is its connection with deeper reality, its silence, and its broader view of real rural India. In his later works, there are more references to mythology and bold summaries.

As the name suggests, Gram Yatra depicts rural life through a series of 13 interconnected panels. These elements include farmers, women, animals, village rituals, working moments and rest. What attracts viewers is its simplicity, woven into a complex setting of struggle and daily life. No premise, no heroes, no drama, rural life in all its purity.

Justifying its title, the picture traces the journey and shows India through a profound lens that is not dramatized or exaggerated. According to art historians, this phase of Hussein’s work was one of his most intimate and socially profound times. The scope of Gram Yatra is even more unique. This is not just a single painting depicting a spot, it is an entire archive, a mural preserving a fading way of life.