"On 1 April, Raja Ravi Varma's Yashoda and Krishna (1890s) hammered at $15m at Saffronart in Mumbai, outperforming its $8.6m to $12.9m estimate."
"The Ravi Varma painting was bought by the Indian pharmaceuticals billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, who stated that this national treasure deserves to be made available for public viewing periodically."
"Poonawalla is the founder of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers, the Serum Institute in Pune, and is worth an estimated $24.8bn according to Forbes."
"Cyrus's only son, Adar Poonawalla, described the family art collection as worth 'close to $70m to $80m' and 'perhaps the best European art collection in India.'"
Raja Ravi Varma's painting Yashoda and Krishna sold for $15 million at Saffronart in Mumbai, breaking the previous auction record for South Asian art. The painting surpassed its estimated value of $8.6 million to $12.9 million and dethroned MF Husain's Gram Yatra, which sold for $13.7 million in March 2025. The buyer, Cyrus Poonawalla, emphasized the importance of making this national treasure available for public viewing. Poonawalla is a prominent figure in the vaccine industry and has a significant art collection valued between $70 million and $80 million.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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