New York-based Klein was in the capital recently for the preview of Christie's second India sale in Mumbai Dec 11, after its successfully debut last year, when modernist artist Vasudeo Gaitonde's "Untitled" was sold for Rs 23.7 crore - the highest price for a modern work of art in this country.

The resounding success has raised expectation levels, which a team of specialists has been taking care of ever since the catalogue of the first India auction was ready.

"We start thinking about what is next when we are done with one catalogue," pointed out Klein, who handles India, London and New York sales of modern and contemporary art. Systematic and well-planned strategies are building blocks for the grand finale. Looking for "anchor pieces" initiates the process. This stage is important because it provides the basic structure of how the general composition of the sale will look like.

"Suppose we have an auction of 80 lots, we first start chasing for 20-25 works for the anchor pieces. Once we get 10, we start looking at which other artists their contemporaries were," Klein explained.

After collating the entire information comes the detailed task of putting estimates to each work. This requires scanning their history, condition, prominence, exhibition details and how "desirable" and "coveted" they have been in their lifespan. In short, their merits should be the highlights of their resume and their incredible journey should reflect in their passport.