THE late Francis Newton Souza’s painting, Birth, created in 1955, sold for £1.27 million (Rs 10.6 crore) at a Christie’s sale in London on Wednesday, setting an auction record for Indian modern and contemporary art. It’s an honour Souza couldn’t have dreamed of in life — he died in 2002.

While Indian artists have been receiving global attention for some time, the Christie’s sale of modern and contemporary art from South Asia reaped huge returns. Of the 111 lots offered, 30 did not find buyers, but the rest fetched a £5.4 million (Rs 45 crore), way above Christie’s own pre-sale estimates of about Rs 37 crore.

Most of Indian artists whose works were offered surpassed their own past records. Souza’s Birth eclipsed even Tyeb Mehta’s Mahisasura, which had changed hands for $1.58 million (Rs 6.3 crore) at an Christie’s auction at New York in 2005.

Birth, a rich oil on board measuring 48x96 inch beat the auction house’s high pre-sale estimate of £800,000 (about Rs 6 crore). A dozen of the lots set artist records, including works by Mehta and Subodh Gupta.

Mehta’s untitled work from 1984, which went under the hammer at Rs 8.2 crore, set a new record for the artist. This work depicts a rickshaw-puller at rest, an enduring motif from the artist’s trajectory of work. The canvas has Mehta’s characteristic strong lines and a brilliantly handled palette, making it a collectible. The sale reflects the growing demand for modern and contemporary Indian art.