Tagore’s 1937 work fetches Rs 10.7 cr, becomes his most expensive.

From Across the Dark, a 1937 work by Rabindranath Tagore, fetched Rs 10.73 crore at Astaguru’s ‘Historic Masterpieces’ auction in December 2025.

The market of the artworks of Rabindranath Tagore, in keeping with the upward trend of the Indian art market in general, is also showing signs of taking a fast track upwards.

A 1937 painting by India’s and Asia’s first Nobel laureate sold for Rs 10.73 crore at the ‘Historic Masterpieces’ auction by Astaguru, held online December 14-17, 2025. Titled From Across the Dark, this painting made in ink, poster colour and crayon on cardboard became the most expensive artwork by the master ever sold. It achieved nearly two-and-a-half times the pre-auction estimate of Rs 2 crore – Rs 3 crore. This work includes a handwritten card by Tagore from the days he spent in Almora in 1937.

Some top selling works of art or other works such as letters, by Rabindranath Tagore, as per auction sales are:

1. From Across The Dark — ₹10.7 crore (~Rs 10.7 Cr)

A late-period painting from 1937 that recently set a record for any Tagore artwork, sold at AstaGuru’s Historic Masterpieces auction. It includes a handwritten card by Tagore and was created during his Almora stay.
Sold: December 2025

2. Set of 35 Handwritten Letters — ₹5.9 crore (collection)

Although not a painting, this lot of rare personal letters by Tagore fetched a very high price at auction and ranks among the most valuable lots sold under his name. These letters, sold at an auction in Kolkata in June 2025, were written by Tagore to sociologist Dhurjati Prasad Mukerji.

3. Untitled (Three Bauls) — ~$772,506 (~₹5.7 Cr)

This watercolour with ink and pastel was sold at Sotheby’s London (2023) and was until recently the auction record for a Tagore artwork.

4. Untitled (Couple) — ~$637,500 (~₹4.7 Cr)

This mixed media painting on paper laid on card was sold at a Christie’s auction in September 2021 for $637,500. Featuring a standing couple, it was executed by the Nobel laureate in the early 1930s.

5. The Heart (sculpture) — ~₹1.04 crore

Rabindranath Tagore’s only known sculptural work sold for over ₹1 Cr — not a painting, but significant monetarily and rare historically. It sold at a Kolkata auction in June 2025 and it is the shape of a Valentine Day’s heart carved in quartzite stone. He had inscribed it with a poem in his own hand while in Karwar, a coastal town in present-day Karnataka, in 1883, while visiting with his elder brother, Satyendranath Tagore, the first “native” (Indian) to become a member of the Indian Civil Service.