Works by Indian artists totalled $1 ,748,500, exceeding expectations , in Sotheby's spring series of Contemporary Art sales in New York.The offering was highlighted by a work by Subodh Gupta, one of the most important contemporary artists to emerge from India in a generation, Saat Samunder Paar VII, 2003, which achieved $825 ,000, a record for the artist at auction , in the evening sale.Scott Nussbaum, specialist in Sotheby's Contemporary Art department , commented: "Zara Porter Hill, Sotheby's Head of Indian and Southeast Asian Art, and I are thrilled at the strong prices achieved across the board for works by Indian artists in our series of sales, which was an outstanding team effort."Interest was global for these works , demonstrated by the record prices achieved for works by Subodh Gupta and Pakistani artist Rashid Rana."

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