It has been over two months since FN Souza’s Birth (1955) came under the hammer for $2.5 million and set a record for Indian art, but the mere mention of that day in London still brings a smile to the face of Dr Hugo Weihe, international director of Asian Art at Christie’s, who was the auctioneer at the event. “There was so much excitement in the hall and it was a moment of gratification to bring the hammer down,” recalls Weihe, as he braces to set new records at the South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Auction in New York in September.

“This is one of the best collections we have managed for an auction and we hope to set a record for the highest total sale,” he smiles, admiring the select artwork from the lot that was flown to Delhi for a preview on Wednesday.

While veterans were represented by Tyeb Mehta’s untitled oil on canvas and a 1961 work by Ram Kumar, from the younger lot NS Harsha’s Running Around The Nectars of Time occupied the centre space of one wall and suspended close to it were Rashid Rana’s Two Dimensions and Riyas Komu’s acclaimed Designated March of a Petro that was exhibited at the Venice Biennale last year. “There has been an effort to put together works by artists from different generations. We keep track of the works and often approach private collectors to source them. The buyers are certainly more discerning now. There is a growing emphasis on the quality of work produced by an artist and the period it belongs to,” says Weihe, as he glances at the Ram Kumar canvas. “This is important because it comes from between the figurative and abstract phases. We even managed a work from Rameshwar Broota’s ape series.”

Sourcing works from the world over must entail a lot of groundwork, but Weihe says that what is most important is the thinking that goes in finalising a collection and deciding a suitable location. “For the New York and London auctions, we try to keep a balance between works of young and old artists and different genres, while Hong Kong is usually more cutting-edge and when we go to Dubai next year the censorship laws will have to be adhered to.”

While the auction house takes Indian art abroad, the country will have to wait for sometime before Christie’s invites bids in India. “We hope to do our bit for Indian art by popularising it across the globe. The preview gives an opportunity to interact with our collector base in the country,” says Weihe, promising several more records for Indian art in the near future.