London: Goan modernist Francis Newton Souza has set a new auction benchmark, with his landscape Houses in Hampstead selling for over USD 7.5 million at Sotheby’s in London—nearly seven times its guide price.

The sale, part of Sotheby’s ‘Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art’ auction on Tuesday, also saw Souza’s Emperor fetch USD 6.9 million, almost five times its estimate. Together, five of his works in the sale grossed more than USD 14.6 million, cementing his dominance in the South Asian art market.

Overall, the auction realised USD 25.5 million, the highest total in the department’s 30-year history. “It was thrilling to see seven new world auction records achieved, including twice over for Francis Newton Souza,” said Manjari Sihare-Sutin, Sotheby’s Co-Worldwide Head of the sale.

Other highlights included:

MF Husain’s Chittore Fort, which sold for USD 1.3 million, nearly triple its guide price.

Vasudeo Gaitonde’s auction debut, achieving USD 646,901.

Ganesh Pyne’s The Dream Conversation, which set a record at USD 851,186.

Sotheby’s said the results reflected the “vitality and diversity of South Asian art”, with works spanning geographies, mediums, and themes.

The auction also came with a note of caution for international buyers: a new India–US cultural property agreement will impose import restrictions on certain categories of Indian archaeological and ethnological material from July 28, 2025.