A painting by a contemporary Indian artist has, been sold at auction in New York for a record $1.6m, underscoring the growing demand for Asian art.The painting, “Mahisasura” by Tyeb Mehta, was bought by a private collector of Indian origin who lives in the US, bidding by telephone at Christie’s in New York recently.Mr Mehta, 80, has a small output and was part of a post-Indian independence movement that drew on European styles to interpret Indian themes. The price — twice the estimate — eclipsed the record for an Indian artwork set earlier at Sotheby’s Indian sale, when $396,800 was paid for Ram Kumar’s “Untitled”.

Posted: 10|5|05 at 8:58 am. Filed under: US News.