Expat art collection smashes record at Sotheby's London auction

A Bhupen Khakhar sold for $3.2 million, taking the artist to top league

A collection of art that belonged to Guy Barbier — the man who brought consulting firm Arthur Andersen & Co. to India in the late 1970s — fetched double its pre-auction estimate in London on Monday, boding well for season prices for Indian art.

Sotheby’s London auction of Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art realised $9.5 million, with some pieces selling for more than four times the expectation.

The Guy and Helen Barbier Family Collection capsule of 29 paintings alone realised $7 million, with a Bhupen Khakhar — Two Men In Benares — selling for $3.2 million, creating a new benchmark for