Christie’s made $12m in its second India sale held in country. Perhaps more significant for the sales within India, the top lot was bought by a online bidder from the US for nearly $3m or a quarter of the sale’s value.
Non-Resident Indians are a major factor in the market for Indian Modern and Contemporary art works. Christie’s ability to have its nationalistic cake by holding the sale in Mumbai while still being able to eat it digitally is a sign of the future of the global art market’s mix of regional and international demand.