An untitled painting by Vasudeo S Gaitonde (1924-2001) could make $1.8m-2.2m at Christie's.

It was produced in Bombay in 1970, when Gaitonde was at the height of his creative abilities.

Vasudeo S Gaitonde was one of India's most acclaimed modern artists

Christie's comments: "The iconic painting being offered this season epitomizes all of the qualities of Gaitonde's most superlative masterpieces…

"…it was one of the paintings chosen to represent the seminal works from this period, in his retrospectives at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice in 2014-16.

"This is a magnificent and rare masterpiece of meditation and represents a cornerstone moment in Gaitonde's oeuvre demanding contemplation and veneration."

Gaitonde's work is in hot demand of late, with another untitled painting selling for $4.7m at Christie's last year - a new world record for the work of an Indian artist at auction.

Other highlights of the sale include Syed Hyder Raza's L'Orage (1975), which is valued at $1m-1.5m.

Raza (1922-1916) moved to France to study in the 1950s and ended up staying there for most of his life.

However, it was his native India that informed the content of his work.

The present lot depicts a storm remembered from his childhood.

The South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art auction will take place in New York on September 14.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about art and photography auctions.