India Art Fair, Image: Cord.in
India Art Fair Faces Forgery Scandal Over Works Shown in BMW Lounge
By Elysia Lior, 05 Mar 2025
The 2025 India Art Fair in New Delhi, one of South Asia’s largest and most prestigious art events, has been engulfed in controversy following allegations that several high-profile works exhibited in the BMW Lounge are forgeries. The claims, which centre on pieces attributed to modern Indian masters M.F. Husain and F.N. Souza, have reignited longstanding concerns about the prevalence of counterfeit artworks in India’s rapidly growing art market.
Organised by Masha Art, the BMW Lounge showcased works allegedly by these celebrated artists, but their authenticity has since been publicly questioned by leading art dealers and experts, including respected dealer Ashvin Rajagopalan, who expressed serious doubts over the provenance of the pieces.
In response to the growing uproar, both BMW and India Art Fair organisers clarified that the works were displayed for non-commercial purposes, yet acknowledged that they had not undergone formal authentication procedures, a fact that has further fuelled criticism from within the art community.
Founded in 2008, India Art Fair has become a key player on the international circuit, positioning itself alongside fairs such as Art Dubai and Singapore Art Week. The 2025 edition featured over 120 galleries, with 70 exhibiting onsite, and attracted approximately 15,000 visitors over its four-day run from 6 to 9 February. Its growing reputation as a hub for South Asian art has now been overshadowed by doubts surrounding due diligence in its high-profile spaces.
The revelation has caused alarm among collectors, with a survey conducted during the fair revealing that around 25% of collectors were concerned about purchasing fakes, while nearly half the galleries reported increased inquiries about provenance compared to previous years. The controversy is particularly troubling given that Indian modern art has reached record-breaking prices in recent years, with works by Husain and Bhupen Khakhar fetching up to $3 million, making them lucrative targets for forgers.
Experts estimate that the Indian art market faces a counterfeit problem worth over $6 billion annually, and while some measures have been introduced to improve transparency, including tighter regulation of cash-based transactions, the events at India Art Fair highlight how major gaps in authentication and provenance remain.
In particular, Masha Art has come under fire for exhibiting 11 works suspected of being inauthentic, reportedly accompanied by forged certificates of authenticity, according to sources cited during the fair. Yet, as of now, no official investigation has been launched, and the works remain a point of heated debate.
This incident underscores the urgent need for stronger vetting and accountability mechanisms within India’s art institutions and market. Collectors and galleries are calling for more robust checks on artworks’ origins and documentation, warning that without serious reform, India risks damaging its reputation as a credible player in the global art scene.
The India Art Fair, once a symbol of the region’s flourishing contemporary art scene, now faces a pivotal moment in determining how it will handle authenticity concerns in future editions. The incident has left many asking whether India’s rapidly expanding art market can maintain its international standing without addressing the persistent problem of forgeries head-on.