India, April 2 -- The record price for a Raja Ravi Varma painting - Rs.167.20 crore for his 1890s work, Yashoda and Krishna - reveals the enduring attraction for this pioneering artist from Kerala as well as the shifting aesthetic choices among art collectors. Until now, it was mostly artists such as MF Husain, Vasudeo Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta, Sayed Haider Raza, Francis Newton Souza, all of them affiliated with the then Bombay-centred Progressive Artists' Group, and also, Amrita Sher-Gil, who commanded attention in Indian art auctions. Now, a Mumbai-based collector has brought back Raja Ravi Varma to the centre stage.

Raja Ravi Varma, who was influenced both by the work of European Renaissance artists and the Kerala mural traditions, drew h...