The youngest name on the auction circuit, the Rohtak-bred, London-based artist has captured the global art scene with his soulful, tactile portraits. His latest? Artworks exploring the humans of Kumbh Mela.
In this episode, he talks about his upbringing in a family of businesspeople, travelling in the northern Indian states, the influence of British artists such as Lucian Freud whose work he came across when studying at the Royal College of Art in London, his love of painting self-portraits, his experience of witnessing the Hindu pilgrimage of Maha Kumbh and his process of putting paint on canvas.
The London-based artist’s heart lies in illuminating the subtleties of humanity through the power of portraiture.
At 27, Raghav Babbar is one of the top-selling Indian artists worldwide, known for works that lay bare the soul. Esquire uncovers the man behind the canvas.
Raghav Babbar transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary through his thick portraits of anonymous Indians. This London-based artist reveals the universal dignity in the faces of vendors, guards, and veiled women, creating a deeply human contemporary painting that transcends cultural boundaries.
The gallery’s goal is not just to carve out a niche for South Asian art, but to ensure it is fully integrated into global dialogues.
Nature Morte at India Art Fair 2025 presents a groundbreaking exploration of hybridity, materiality, and technological mediation, redefining contemporary artistic discourse through innovative works that challenge perceptions of space, identity, and historical memory.
Ranking the most successful Indian artists alive, the list indicates a buoyant art market in India.
Discover images of this year’s show, shot by Art Basel’s official photographers.
Raghav Babbar's passion for art brought him from a small town in Haryana state to eventually studying art in Singapore. His realistic paintings of everyday scenes have been exhibited in New York, Singapore and Venice.
The artist speaks to works on view at ICA Miami.
The artists were ranked by taking into account the sales of their works, sold at public auction in the year ending on July 31, 2023.
As his portraits gain spark huge collector interest, Indian painter Raghav Babbar speaks to Artsy about his process and debut solo show in London.
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