India's New Art Philanthropy: Record Husain Sale and Museum Boom

A 1954 M.F. Husain painting, originally purchased for Rs1400 by surgeon Leon Elias Voldarsky and bequeathed to Oslo University Hospital, sold at Christie's in March 2025 for US$13.8 million—a record for an Indian artist. The buyer is widely reported to be Kiran Nadar, trustee of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), which is building a 100,000 sqm David Adjaye-designed complex near New Delhi airport, expected to open within three years. Nadar represents a second generation of corporate art philanthropists, alongside Nita Ambani, whose NMACC in Mumbai opened in 2023 and hosted Phantom of the Opera (55,000 viewers in March 2025). Sunil Munjal is funding The Brij, a 'live museum' in New Delhi with one million square feet, and runs the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, which will hold a mini-edition in Birmingham, UK in May 2025. Abhishek Poddar's Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bangalore, opened 2023, features an AI hologram of Husain. Critics note that philanthropy often focuses on established artists and asset-building, with collector Poddar stating 'the art market is booming, but most collectors buy dead artists.' Shalini Passi, with 1.5 million Instagram followers, runs the Shalini Passi Art Foundation and appeared on reality TV. The essay is part of ArtReview's May 2025 issue on philanthropy, supported by Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, Han Nefkens Foundation, Levett Collection, and Sunpride Foundation.