Bonhams Concludes South Asian, Middle Eastern, Islamic Art Sales Totaling £2.18M for Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art
The Facts
Bonhams concluded a series of three live auctions at its New Bond Street saleroom in London this May and June, covering Islamic and Indian Art (May 21, 2026), Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art (June 2, 2026), and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art (June 4, 2026). The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale realized a total of £2,183,882, led by Jehangir Sabavala's "The Breakthrough," which sold for £483,000 against an estimate of £300,000–500,000. Other top lots included Maqbool Fida Husain's "Untitled (Shiva, Parvati & Ganesh)" at £381,400 and "Untitled (Horses)" at £241,700, as well as Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar's "Untitled (Krishna Tames Kaliya Nag)" at £190,900. In the Islamic and Indian Art sale, the top lot was a Mughal work "Rustam Slaying a Dragon in a Rocky Landscape" (circa 1580) at £68,980, followed by a 16th-century Nepalese mask of Bhairava at £57,550 and a collection of Sikh regimental ornaments at £25,600.
The Signal
The strong results across all three categories, as noted by Nima Sagharchi, Group Head of Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art, underscore sustained global collector demand for works from these regions, particularly for museum-quality modern paintings and historical objects with provenance. The performance of Sabavala's work, selling above its high estimate, signals robust interest in modern South Asian masters, while the sale of the Sikh collection with documented family provenance highlights the premium placed on well-documented historical material. For collectors, these results affirm the deepening market for South Asian and Middle Eastern art, with top lots achieving prices that reflect both artistic significance and rarity.
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- Artists: Jehangir Sabavala, Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar, Maqbool Fida Husain, Francis Newton Souza
- People: Nima Sagharchi, George Burnett Abercrombie Rind
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Locations: London
- Prices: £68,980, £57,550, £25,600, £2,183,882, £483,000, £190,900, £381,400, £241,700, £44,800
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