While international auctions shattered records in 2025, India's domestic art market tells a more complex story. Gallery founders reveal how record prices are quietly showing confidence and creating opportunities, even as structural challenges persist.
Who Really Benefits From Record Prices Emerging Artists or an Elite Few?
The most contentious debate centres on accessibility. Have record sales created genuine opportunities for mid-career and emerging artists, or merely amplified existing hierarchies?
The data offer grounds for cautious optimism. Contemporary artists' turnover jumped 31.8 per cent, whilst emerging artists nearly doubled their performance with a 99.3 per cent increase. Pre-modern art surged 31.5 per cent, indicating collectors are looking beyond the usual suspects. Artist participation expanded too—123 female artists participated compared to 114 the previous year, a 7.9 per cent rise.
"I don't believe the recent surge in valuations and media attention is limited only to elite or established names," counters Rekha Lahoti of Kalakriti Art Gallery. "On the contrary, emerging and mid-career artists are being offered greater platforms and visibility than ever before." She points to their exhibition Origin Story 2.0, featuring nearly 70 per cent emerging artists in New Delhi, parallel to the India Art Fair, as evidence of this shift. "What is particularly heartening is the growing interest from established collectors who are consciously choosing to invest in emerging practices."