New Delhi: Sotheby’s held its inaugural auction in Mumbai on Thursday (November 29), fetching a total of Rs 55.4 crore.Tyeb Mehta’s ‘Durga Mahisasura Mardini‘ was sold at the highest price of Rs 20.49 crore. According to the auction house, the painting had remained in the same private collection ever since it was commissioned directly from the artist in 1993.Amrita Sher-Gil’s ‘The Little Girl in Blue‘ came in a close second, and was sold for Rs 18.69 crore. This, Sotheby’s said in a statement, was the highest price Sher-Gil’s work has ever received in India. Another one of the artist’s painting – made when she was just ten years old – was also sold at the auction for Rs 52,50,000.Several other important works of art also found a place at the auction, including an untitled 1950s bronze by Sadanand Bakre (sold for Rs 1.88 crore), Arpita Singh’s ‘Men Sitting, Men Standing‘ (sold for Rs 1.88 crore) and Francis Newton Souza’s ‘Untitled (St Paul’s Cathedral)‘ (sold for Rs 1.88 crore).The statement revealed that people spent more on the paintings than the auction house had predicted: “Over 75% of sold lots achieved prices above their pre-sale high estimates.”Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s chairman for the Middle East and India, said in the statement, “This is a milestone moment for Sotheby’s; the realisation of a vision we have been planning for many years. Tonight’s sale reflects Sotheby’s continued commitment to the South Asian market and our South Asian clients going forward. The enthusiasm that we have seen for the sale and for our supporting exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai, stands us in very good stead for the future.”