Panaji: A 1965 artwork by F N Souza, titled Hanuman the Monkey God, was sold for Rs 15.6 crore at Saffronart’s Autumn Auction, establishing a new global auction record for the highest-value individual work on paper by the artist. The milestone buy was a ‘white glove’ season for Saffronart, which achieved a 100% sell-through rate and a combined total of Rs 250.6 crore across its Sept 19 live sale and Sept 21–22 online auction.The rare piece, influenced by Souza’s collaboration with artist Mohan Sharma, led one of the most successful modern Indian art sales to date. TOI had reported about the work going on auction on Sept 9. At the time, the gouache on paper was estimated at Rs 1.5–2.5 crore.The figure painting features an elongated face sprouting multiple antennae-like eyes and wearing a strychnine grin. The delicate, rounded lines of the head and tubular eyes contrast with the geometric patterning on the face and torso. This style offers an interesting counterpoint to the highly expressionist Black on Black paintings, with subjects sculpted from thick impasto and vigorous linework, which he was also producing during this period.Saffronart CEO and co-founder Dinesh Vazirani said, “We are delighted with the outstanding response to Saffronart’s Autumn live and online sales. Both were white-glove auctions that set multiple new artist records. The results across the two sales extend the strong momentum we have seen through 2026 and reflect continued confidence in Indian art across categories and generations of collectors. As we look ahead, we remain focused on bringing exceptional works to collectors globally and contributing to the continued growth of the market.”The auction also featured Mahadev Visvanath Dhurandhar’s Shri Mahalakshmi, 1899, which sold for Rs 14.1 crore, A Ramachandran’s Kurma Avatar with Savita and Aparajita Flowers, 1996, which sold for Rs 8.6 crore, G Ravinder Reddy’s 2011–12 work, which sold for Rs 4.7 crore, and Sohan Qadri’s Untitled work that sold for Rs 3.8 crore, among other artworks.
