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.
- ✓The Indian art market is struggling with a growing forgery issue as values rise.
- ✓Right, a copy exhibited at Art Mumbai in 2025.
- ✓Renowned artists like MF Husain are frequently faked, leading experts to emphasize provenance and increase authentication efforts in the face of expanding buyer interest.
Left: An original work by artist Bikash Bhattacharjee. Right, a copy exhibited at Art Mumbai in 2025. (Image courtesy Aakriti Art Gallery).SummaryThe 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.Gift this articleCheck your portfolioThis is a Mint Premium article gifted to you.Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.
Varuni Khosla is a journalist with Mint, where she covers the consumer economy with a focus on hospitality and tourism, luxury, the business of sports, art, and the alcohol and food and beverage industries. Based in New Delhi, she reports on how brands and cultural sectors grow, shape consumer demand and compete in one of the world’s fastest-evolving markets.Varuni has been a journalist since 2009 and brings more than 17 years of experience reporting on India’s business landscape. She specialises in covering the industries shaping India’s consumption economy, and is widely recognised as a key voice in these areas.Over the years, she has closely tracked the rise of India’s luxury and hospitality sectors, the transformation of advertising and marketing as brands respond to digital platforms and changing audiences, and the economics of sport, from sponsorships and leagues to the expanding commercial ecosystems around teams, athletes and media rights. Her reporting on the business of art explores the growing global market for South Asian art and the role of collectors, galleries and auction houses.Her stories frequently draw on exclusive conversations with founders, executives and industry leaders, combining market data with on-the-ground reporting to offer readers insight into the companies and trends shaping India’s evolving consumption economy.
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| Issuing Authority | Livemint Indian Economy & Policy |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | BUSINESS |
| Jurisdiction | All India / National |
| Publication Date | 16 September 2026 |