Mint ·
It's a fake! Forged art floods Indian market as masterworks fetch record millions
The Indian art market is struggling with a growing forgery issue as values rise. Renowned artists like MF Husain are frequently faked, leading experts to emphasize provenance and increase authentication efforts in the face of expanding buyer interest.
India’s burgeoning art market has a forgery problem. As prices of works by modern masters soar and a new generation of collectors piles into the market, fakes attributed to MF Husain, FN Souza and SH Raza are increasingly surfacing in the resale trade.
Experts and art dealers are encountering everything from single works to entire bodies of work and even those that have never previously appeared in the market. Experts said provenance and authentication face greater scrutiny just as Indian art is attracting more money and first-time buyers.
While there is no reliable estimate of the number of fakes in the art market, experts told Mint the numbers are growing. Aakriti Art Gallery in Kolkata receives 3-4 requests a week for authentication.
