Modern Art a Standout at Christie’s High-Water Asian Sales

Vol. XXXII, No. 9                                                                                                      Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Asian art sales held at Christie’s Hong Kong, from Nov. 26-30, garnered $210 million, far surpassing last year’s $139 million total (ANL, 1/3/06, p. 8). Works on offer includedAsian contemporary art; 20th-century Chinese art; classical Chinese paintings andcalligraphy; Imperial Chinese ceramics, from the collection of Robert Chang; Chinese jades, from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman; modern and contemporary Southeast Asian Art; jewelry; and watches.

Among these groups, the 20th-century Chinese art sale realized $47.13 million and Asian contemporary art took $20.84 million, accounting for a considerable portion of the total. Describing the total sale of $67.97 million as “a milestone,” Eric Chang, Christie’s senior vice president and international director, added that “numerous world auction record prices were set today, including that for an Asian oil painting, Slave and Lion, by Xu Beihong [1895-1953], that sold for $7 million.” The work dates back to the artist’s stay in Berlin in the early 1920s.

In the contemporary art category, the painting of a symbolic Chinese landmark, Tiananmen Square, 1993, by Zhang Xiaogang (b. 1958), fell to an Asian collector for $2.34 million—records both for the artist and for a contemporary Chinese painting.

Records also were set for Yue Minjun (b. 1962) and Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964). Minjun’s Kiteswent to a European buyer for $962,000, while Fanzhi’s Mask 1999, No. 3, was picked up by an Asian private buyer for $816,400. The “Mask” series shows contrasting emotions, such as humor and anxiety, in modern urban life and is considered a turning point in the artist’s career.

Edward Dolman, CEO, Christie’s International, says the firm “looks forward to investing further in the region,” adding that the “record-breaking series of sales showed the growing strength in Asia of the demand for artworks of the highest quality.”

Of the contemporary art category, which also included Indian and Pakistani artists, specialistYamini Mehta, head of modern and contemporary Indian Art at Christie’s, comments that the sale “featured new and fresh perspectives on the contemporary art scene of India and Pakistan.” Mehta notes that “buyers for the works were truly international, hailing from Italy, France, China, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East.”

Artists in this group included N.S. Harsha (b. 1969), whose acrylic painting Melting Wit fetched $93,600 (estimate: $70,500/98,700); Chintan Upadhyay (b. 1973), whose Mutant, in oil and acrylic on canvas, won $59,280 (estimate: $17,900/25,600); and T.V. Santhosh (b. 1968), whose oil Across an Unresolved Story sold for $43,680 (estimate: $10,300/15,400).

Asian Art Sales in Hong Kong Fetch Record $138M

Vol. XXXII, No. 6                                                                                                                Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s four-day series of auctions in Hong Kong in early October realized its highest-ever total of $138.15 million and created seven new records.

Auctions included Chinese ceramics, Chinese modern and contemporary art, paintings, arts of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), watches, jewelry and early Ming Buddhist bronzes from the Speelman Collection.

One of these—a gilt-bronze figure of Shakyamuni Buddha, mark and period of Yongle (1403-25)—sold for $15.03 million, setting a world record for any Chinese work of art. Just last month experts noted a decline in New York sales of classical art such as Buddhist sculptures (ANL,10/17/06, p. 1)

The Oct. 7 auction of works from the Speelman Collection took $41.82 million. Commenting on the sale, Robin Woodhead, CEO of Sotheby’s Europe and Asia said, “I am delighted to witness another record auction in Hong Kong confirming that Hong Kong is one of the three key auction centers in the world.”

The modern and contemporary Chinese art category recorded $21.93 million. In the Chinese contemporary art category, which totaled $10.6 million, an oil on canvas, Danshui, by native Taiwanese artist Chen Chengbo (1895-1947), was acquired by a private Asian buyer for $4.49 million at three times the presale estimate of $1.29 million, creating an auction record for any Chinese painting. Several minutes of intense competition between two bidders on the phone and by two more in the saleroom preceded the sale.

Commented Evelyn Lin, deputy director and head of Chinese contemporary art and specialist in charge of the sale: “Chengbo’s depiction of Danshui was his favorite subject,” adding that the whereabouts of only three such works by the artist are known.

Buddha, 1971, an oil on board by Ding Yanyong (1902-78), also set a record when it was picked up by a private Asian bidder for $737,651. Henry Howard-Sneyd, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and Asia and managing director of Sotheby’s Asia and Australasia, later observed that “the record-breaking sale demonstrates the continued strength and growth of the market and validates the strong results achieved in New York three weeks ago.”

In another category covering Chinese contemporary art, the sale total reached $11.33 million. A record was set for Zhang Xiaogang (b. 1958) when his oil-on-canvas Big Family Series No. 15, 1998, took $1.12 million from a collector. Night Revels Series No. 4, 2006, a painting byWang Huaiqing (b. 1944) was acquired for $5.49 million by a private Asian buyer.

The fine Chinese paintings category (including the Vermillion Pavilion collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fei Chengwu) fetched $15.10 million. Xu Beihong’s “Zodiac Animals,” 1946, an album of 12 leaves in ink and color on paper, fell for $708,764; and Fu Baoshi’s “Landscape and Figures,” 1946, an album of ten leaves in ink and color on paper, was sold for $650,990. Sotheby’s specialist-in-charge C.K. Cheung reports that the sale “attracted almost 500 bidders,” adding, “the results reflected the strength of the market for fine Chinese paintings, particularly works by established artists that are fresh to the market.”

Sales of fine Chinese ceramics and works of art totaled $13.03 million. Top prices were obtained for a celadon-glaze vase with Ram’s Heads, with the seal and mark of the Qianlong period (1736-95), which went for $1.12 million; and a Yongzheng (1723-35) celadon moonflask, which Eskenazi Ltd., London, acquired for $993,612.

Soaring Art Season in New York

(Opening of Atul Dodiya’s exhibition at Bodhi Art) (Photo: Michael Toolan)



Arts and Culture November 2006

Raj S. Rangarajan

New York: If it’s fall in New York its time for art shows and auctions, cheese-wine receptions and film festivals. Around this time Manhattan picks up a buzz about art and paintings, about medium and texture, style and angle, and of course expression and enigma.

Art is ubiquitous. Everyone has an opinion on art – it’s like advertising or politics. We have heard the old saw – modern art is not to be seen, it’s to be discussed. The person who mused that would undoubtedly revise his/her opinion now after seeing the phenomenal variety and quality of art being created in several parts of the world including those by contemporary Indian artists. And like so many things “Indian” (read South Asian) these days, ranging from BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) to Bollywood to Indian food, contemporary Indian art is fetching high prices at auctions in art capitals of the world.

At Asian art sales in September auctioneers Sotheby’s and Christie’s had a field day with contemporary Indian art selling at record-setting prices. Francis Newton Souza’s (1924-2002) two oil paintings on board – Man and Woman and Man with Monstrance each sold for US$1.36 million. Eighty-one-year-old Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled painting went for US$1.13 million, abstractionist Vasudev Gaitonde’s (1924-2001) “Atul Dodiya’s Mirage, 2002 sold at $216,000 and Jitish Kallat’s Ancestral Fruit on a Siamese Twine, 1998 was bought by a private Indian collector for $72,000. Dodiya is 47 and Kallat is merely 32.

To a question to Kallat regarding what the title of his creation meant, the artist said, "Ancestral Fruit on a Siamese Twine was part of a series of works I made in the late 90s that dealt with autobiographical themes often evoking ideas of family ancestry. My family comes from the Southern state of Kerala but I was born and raised in Mumbai. That degree of separation was often explored in art works; the elephant became symbolic of ancestry/Kerala and these ideas were put forth through cryptic titles and image constructions that made the viewer play detective. The paintings wore the look of a weather-beaten wall creating a friction between the private act of diary writing and encrypting them to take a dimension of public wall.”






Art-lovers admiring paintings
(Photographer: Michael Toolan)

Two Mumbai artists Atul Dodiya (right) and Jitish Kallat (left) had an inspiring one-on-one talk recently at Bodhi Art Gallery in artsy Chelsea district in the city at a standing-room-only reception on Dodiya’s art, style, motivations and why he draws what he draws. While at residency at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute in late 2005, Dodiya created The Wet Sleeves of My Paper Robe (Sabari in Her Youth: After Nandalal Bose) a body of work that includes 31 new works on paper. Dodiya emphasized how “my intention as an artist is to create a narrative and a continuity, otherwise it will stay as an illustration.” Dodiya said, “from the age of 11, I wanted to be a painter and artist and initially I used to copy masters such as Matisse and Picasso to get a feel for their work.” To a question on how to appreciate art, Dodiya said, “there are times when you don’t have to explain perception of a work of art, it just hits you.” Bodhi Art, which has a presence in Mumbai and New Delhi, opened in Singapore in 2004 and in New York this September.

About TamarindArt:
TamarindArt is open to the public as a museum-gallery. Inaugurated in 2003 by celebrated contemporary Indian artist M.F. Husain, it is owned by prominent collectors Mr. and Mrs. Kent Charugundla. TamarindArt Gallery’s main focus is to introduce Indian contemporary art to a larger audience and to create a platform for intellectual dialogue between senior and younger artists. It has become one of the foremost centers for contemporary Indian art in the United States, with the collective experience of over fifty years. Since its opening, the Charugundlas have held numerous private exhibitions, including the works of renowned Indian artists M. F. Husain, F.N. Souza, Ram Kumar, S. H. Raza, Vasudev S. Gaitonde, and Bal Chhabda, whose work was shown in New York for the very first time.

At the Tamarind Art Gallery that opened in 2003 in mid-town New York, 78-year-old Akbar Padamsee’s nudes and abstract art were on display with a catchy title – Lines of Distinction, Strokes of Genius. Padamsee’s treatment of the human form conveys both pain and tenderness and makes his art stand out. His nudes seem to yearn for attention in a subtle yet provocative manner – if that’s possible.

Earlier in May-June, art collectors and gallery owners of Tamarind Art Gallery, Kent and Marguerite Charugundla hosted “50 years of artist Bal Chhabda” a formidable figure in the art business harkening back to the Progressive Artists Group made famous by the likes of M.F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Krishen Khanna, Raza, Gaitonde and Alkazi.

When asked about his motivation to become an artist, Chhabda, who is 80-plus confided, “I am actually an accidental artist, my first love was to produce and direct movies in Bombay, which he did in 1950 with his film “Bal Chhabda Exhibits at TamarindArt


Art collector (left) with Natvar Bhaskar (New York artist)



New York, New York - TamarindArt Gallery, located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, presented a show of legendary contemporary Indian artist Akbar Padamsee.

Akbar Padamsee is a commanding presence in the contemporary Indian art movement, his imaginative work replete with metascapes and figures splendid in their alienation and solitude. It is his treatment of the human form, which conveys both pain and tenderness that makes his art visually stunning and intellectually provocative.

“Padamsee’s devoted attention to form, volume, space, time, and color makes his works both real and transcendent,” said gallery owner Mr. Kent Charugundla. It is an honor "to host a show of one of the most important ground-breaking modern artist of our time.” The exhibition featured work done in pencil and charcoal on paper as well as watercolors.

Akbar Padamsee is one of the India’s most celebrated contemporary artists. As a young artist in the 1940s Padamsee broke new ground by, “inventing modernism for India”. To create a new modernism he rejected India’s artistic traditions and looked to the contemporary art of Paris for inspiration. Padamsee lived in Paris from 1951 to 1967. Over the years Akbar Padamsee has received a number of prestigious awards and honors including, The Rockefeller Fund Fellowship in 1965, the Nehru Fellowship in 1969-70 and awarded the Kalidas Samman by the Medhya Pradesh Government for 1997-98. Akbar Padamsee has also been invited to participate in a number of important shows, including, two Venice Biennales and the Tokyo Biennale in 1959. Akbar Padamsee lives and works in Mumbai.



Resources:
www.bodhiart.in
www.tamarindart.com

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

Asian Art Auctions Surpass Year-Ago Totals

Vol. XXXII, No. 4                                                                                                               Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—In September Sotheby’s and Christie’s saw their Asian art sales take off, fueled by the strength of modern and contemporary art, with totals of $45.35 million and $34.99 million, respectively—generously outstripping figures for last year, when Sotheby’s posted a total of $23 million; and Christie’s, just under $30 million (ANL, 10/11/05). Experts note the exponential growth in demand for Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Korean contemporary art.At Christie’s “the most vibrant markets were Chinese art and modern and contemporary Indian art—two categories that have witnessed important additions to the buyer base with the emergence of the overseas Chinese and Indian collectors,” says Theow Tow, deputy chairman of Christie’s Americas and Asia.

Sale totals in traditional collecting areas, such as Chinese ceramics and works of art, held steady, while in sales of Indian and southeast Asian art “the balance is shifting much more to modern and contemporary paintings in addition to miniatures,” says Matthew Weigman,Sotheby’s senior vice president of corporate affairs. Meanwhile, auction experts note a decline in the sales volume of more classicalart, such as Buddhist sculptures.

Christie’s realized $17.81 million in its modern and contemporary Indian art sale on Sept. 20. The total “surpassed all previous records and endorsed our strategy of including works from prime private collections,” says Yamini Mehta, Christie’s head of modern and contemporary Indian art. Pointing out that the first such sale, held in New York in 2000, made just $600,000, she calls the auction “a tremendous testimonial to the buoyancy and the energy of Indian art, its collectors and its supporters.” The breakdown of buyers, Christie’s reports, was American (including nonresident Indians based in the U.S.), 48%; Asian, 41%; Middle Eastern, 8%; European, 2%; and all others, 1%.

An Indian hedge-fund manager gave $1.36 million for Man and Woman,1954, an oil on board by Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), at Christie’s (estimate: $300,000/500,000). Another Indian collector paid $1.13 million (estimate: $800,000/1 million) for a Tyeb Mehta (b.1925) painting, Untitled (Figures with Bull Head), circa 1984.

An auction record was set for Indian artist Jagdish Swaminathan (1929-93) when his untitled, three-paneled work of 1988 took $520,000 (estimate: $400,000/600,000). Another record was claimed for Arpita Singh (b.1937), when Bhishma, 1997, in acrylic on canvas, fetched $408,000.

Souza Stars at Sotheby’s $14.8M Sale

At Sotheby’s, on Sept. 19, the auction of Indian art, including miniatures and modern paintings, totaled $14.8 million. Souza’s Man with Monstrance, a 1953 oil on board, became the leader when a private collector from Singapore acquired it for $1.36 million, way past the high estimate of $700,000. Mehta’s Untitled, 1993, from his“Falling Figures” series, went for $1.24 million (estimate: $750,000/1 million); and another Untitled, 1972, by abstractionistVasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924-2001), was bought by a Japanese private collector for $1.1 million (estimate: $700,000/900,000).

The auction “attracted crossover buying and bidding from other Asian collecting categories,” observes Zara Porter Hill, who heads Sotheby’s Indian and southeast Asian department.

At Sotheby’s first dedicated sale of Indian contemporary art, on Sept. 22, 70 percent of all lots outstripped their high estimates. A total of 58 lots was offered, including work by both established and emerging artists. The sale reached $1.81 million, above the high estimate of $1.56 million. The auction was 93.1 percent sold by lot, 97.7 percent by value.

Mirage, 2002, by Atul Dodiya (b. 1959)—an installation from his 2002 “Shutter” series—moved to the lead when it fell for $216,000 (estimate:$180,000/220,000). It was followed byExistence of Instinct—4, 2004, by Shibu Natesan (b.1966), which made $156,000 (estimate: $120,000/180,000).

Two artists’ records were set: Ancestral Fruit on a Siamese Twine, 1998, by Jitish Kallat(b.1974), went to an Indian collector for $72,000 (estimate: $60,000/80,000); and Untitled(“Paper Moon” series), 1995, by Sudarshan Shetty (b. 1961), sold for $66,000 (estimate: $60,000/80,000).

Contemporary Indian Art Scores

Works by Indian artists the likes of Bikash Bhattacharjee (b.1940), Avinash Chandra (b. 1931), Jogen Chowdhury (b.1939), Anju Dodiya (b.1964), Subodh Gupta (b.1964), Bhupen Khakhar (b. 1934), Nusra Latif Qureshi (b.1973) and Ravinder G. Reddy (b.1956) also were well-received—as were those by Pakistani artists Aisha Khalid (b.1972) and Ahmed Shabbudin (b.1950).

The results “affirm the fact that Indian contemporary art deserves its own spotlight in New York,” comments Hill. “The sale attracted participation from around the world from new and established buyers.”

Sotheby’s second-ever sale of contemporary Asian art from China, Korea and Japan, on Sept. 20, totaled $18.16 million. A record was set for Chinese artist Chen Danqing (b. 1953) when his diptych Street Theatre, 1991, fetched $1.47 million from a bidder on the phone. The unpublished presale estimate, according to Sotheby’s, was “in the region of $1.5 million.”

Records also were set for Liu Xiaodong, whoseComputer Leader, 1996, brought $520,000 (estimate: $450,000/700,000) from a private buyer from mainland China; and Zhao Chunxiang(Chao Chung-Hsiang), whose Midsummer, 1970, was picked up by a Taiwanese collector for $464,000 (estimate: $125,000/150,000).

Henry Howard-Sneyd, deputy chairman, Sotheby’s Asia and Europe, reports that “the market responded with enthusiasm, and major private collectors were very active.”

Second-Highest Chinese Sale at Christie’s

Elsewhere, Sotheby’s sale of Chinese ceramicsand works of art, on Sept. 21, totaled $10.56 million, falling below the year-ago figure of $12.8 million (ANL, 10/11/05).

An Extremely rare carved rhinoceros-horn “Log Raft” wine vessel, signed by You Kan, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722) went for $2.03 million to a mainland Chinese collector, who had successfully outbid five other buyers (estimate: $500,000/700,000). A New York dealer purchased a Green-glazed ovoid vessel from the Northern Qi dynasty(550-577) for $475,200 (estimate: $300,000/400,000).

Christie’s sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art, on Sept. 19, earned $12.11 million, dipping below last year’s $14.5 million total but still the second-highest such sale to date.

Townoted afterward that “bidding came from [both] Eastern and Western collectors and was neither extravagant nor hesitant but healthy and supportive of all collecting segments.”

A rare Early blue and white globular vase, Xuande period (1426-35), was purchased byChak’s Company Ltd., Hong Kong, for $2.2 million (estimate: $200,000/300,000). London dealer Eskenazi Ltd. bought a Large, early carved grayish-green jade beaker, mid-2nd century, B.C., for $856,000 (estimate: $500,000/600,000).

The Christie’s sale of Japanese and Korean art, on Sept. 21, realized $2.76 million. The top lot was an 18th-century Korean “Autumn Grasses” blue and white porcelain beveled jar, Chosun period (1392-1910), that sold for $240,000 (estimate: $250,000/300,000).

The Indian and southeast Asian art sale at Christie’s, on Sept. 20, totaled $2.3 million, with American buyers picking up the top lots including: a Rare triad of granite figures of [Hindu god]Vishnu and his consorts (South India, 13th-14th centuries); and a Large gilt bronze figure ofAkshobhya (Tibet, 15th century)—each selling for $144,000.

$154M Hong Kong Sales Are a Runaway Success

Vol. XXXI, No. 22                                                                                                           Raj S. Rangarajan

HONG KONG—Christie’s marked its 20th anniversary in Hong Kong with a series of sales, from May 28-June 1, that scored another high for material ranging from Chinese ceramics toIndian and Southeast Asian paintings and contemporary Asian art.

Noting that the auctions took more than $154 million, Edward Dolman, CEO, Christie’s International, attributed the success to “the immense strength of Hong Kong as one of the three foremost auction centers in the global market.” Asian art sales attained a total of $110 million, setting another record.

As Theow Tow, Christie’s deputy chairman, Asia and the Americas, told ARTnewsletter, the Asian art market is “many different markets,” encompassing everything from ceramics and jewelry to classical Chinese paintings and contemporary Asian art. “And the categories keep growing,” he says. Recalling that Christie’s first sale in Hong Kong in 1986 realized $1.8 million, Tow says that in addition to U.S. and mainland Chinese buyers—who have been mainstays of this market for some time now—Christie’s has recently noted a growing number of Russian and Middle Eastern buyers participating at its sales of Asian art.

The 20th-century Chinese art category took $27.87 million and set three auction records on May 28. A work by Chu Teh-Chun (Zhu Dequn; b. 1920), Rouge, la pluie de pétales sur le village; blanc, le nuage au-dessus de la maison, No. 53, fetched $3.36 million from an Asian buyer at four times the high estimate. The painting Garden, by Liao Chi-Ch’un (Liao Jichun; 1902-76), fell for $2.19 million, also over the estimate; and Dancing of Flowers, by Wu Dayu(1903-88), was picked up by a private buyer for $801,840.

Eric Chang, senior director, modern and contemporary Asian pictures and head of Christie’s 20th-century Chinese art department, said, “International buyers ignored conventional boundaries, bidding fiercely, and bought across the board” at the first Asian contemporary artsale.

Contemporary Artists Fare Well

Asian contemporary art was a new joint category that brought together Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean and Pakistani art and fetched $11.30 million. Records were set for three Chinese artists and one Korean artist at the May 28 auction. Drawing for Man, Eagle and Eye in the Sky: Eagles Watching Man-Kite, by Cai Guo Qiang (b. 1957), went for $903,760 at more than twice the high estimate.

ROLEX, by Wang Guangyi (b. 1957), was bought by an Asian bidder for $510,640 at six times the high estimate. No. 8, by Fang Lijun (b. 1963), made $423,280 at four times the high estimate. Marilyn Monroe vs. Chairman Mao, by Korean artist Kim Dong-Yoo (b. 1965), was picked up by an Asian buyer for $335,920 at more than twice the high estimate.

The Asian contemporary art category included “works of Indian and Pakistani artists that had the packed saleroom buzzing,” says Yamini Mehta, specialist and head of Christie’s modern and contemporary Indian art department. Speaking to ARTnewsletter from Hong Kong, Mehta said, “The successful sale of 20 exceptional works from Indian and Pakistani artists marked the first time they were encompassed in the international context of an Asian contemporary art auction.” She added that while “in terms of value Indian art is more established, bidding on the telephone was fierce, with notable cross-bidding and buying from all over the world.”

Seven Indian artists and one Pakistani set world auction records. Animus, an oil and acrylic on canvas by Indian artists Jiten Thukral (b. 1976) and Sumir Tagra (b. 1979), earned $42,120 at five times the high estimate.

A record was set for another Indian artist, Hema Upadhyay (b. 1972), when her mixed-mediaBleeding Hearts sold for $20,280. Identical Views, two digital photographic prints by Pakistani artist Rashid Rana (b. 1968), together realized $14,040.

Two more auction records were set in the modern and contemporary Southeast Asian Artsale—by artists from Belgium and Indonesia. The total for this category was $6.70 million.Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres’ painting Terrace affording a view of the sea with Pollok under an umbrella and several figures, sold for $1.76 million; and The Indestructible Desert, by Indonesian artist S. Sudjojono (1914-1986), was acquired by a private Southeast Asian bidder for $394,160 at 2.5 times the high estimate.

Ruoh-Ling Keong, vice president and head of Christie’s Southeast Asian pictures department was “thrilled to witness strong buying activity, encouraged by many new buyers” from Hong Kong, the U.S., and Europe with an increasing presence of mainland Chinese and Taiwanese collectors.

At the Imperial sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art on May 30, four records were set, including one for an early Ming underglaze copper-red vase, Yuhuchunping, Hongwu Period(1368-98), bought by casino mogul Steve Wynn for a museum in Macau (ANL, 6/6/06).

Fine classical Chinese paintings and calligraphy took $5.15 million with Bamboo and Rock, by Chinese painter Shi Tao (1642-1707), selling at a double-estimate $394,160.

Fine modern and contemporary Chinese paintings fetched a total of $15.97 million. An Asian bidder bought Snowy Mountains, by Chinese artist Cui Ruzhuo (b. 1944), for $1.90 million.Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) had four paintings in the top ten of this category. His painting Mist Clearing After the Rain took $743,600, while Red Peony went to an Asian trade bidder for $277,680. Ben Kong, senior vice president and head of Christie’s Chinese paintings department, commented on the “enthusiastic participation of buyers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.”

Inaugural Auction in Dubai Sets Many Artists’ Records

Vol. XXXI, No. 21                                                                                                             Raj S. Rangarajan

DUBAI—Fifty-three new artists’ records were set at the first-ever international modern andcontemporary art auction organized in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, by Christie’s last month. Totaling $8.48 million, the 113-lot international sale (87 percent sold by lot, 94 percent by value) included works by artists from 20 countries, with bidders from across the world.

Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art and head of the Indian andSoutheast Asian art department, told ARTnewsletter, “This is a new market, strategically well-positioned—very important for the region as well as connecting Europe and Asia, Middle East versus Far East. This is an expansion rather than competition.”

The painting Numbers, 1979, by Indian artist Rameshwar Broota (b. 1941), was bought by a private Indian buyer for $912,000, more than seven times the high estimate. This work represents a shift in Broota’s oeuvre following his discovery of a knife-blade technique that strips layers of paint to create subtle shading and texture without the benefit of preparatory works on paper.

Another Indian artist, Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), had two paintings in the top ten—Sourya, 1979, which fetched $520,000 from a private Middle East buyer; and Ciel bleu, 1957, which realized $329,600 from an Indian buyer. A record was set for Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa(b. 1943) when Where the Two Oceans Meet (Variant No. 3), 2001, was acquired by a Middle East buyer for $284,800, more than twice the high estimate of $120,000.

Jussi Pylkkänen, president of Christie’s Europe and Middle East, who is based in London, told ARTnewsletter the Indian art market has matured over the past ten years. This, he says, is evidenced by the fact that of the top ten artists, nine were of Indian origin, with most of their works selling at prices above the estimates.

A Plethora of Phone Bidders

Pylkkänen, a 13 year-veteran of Christie’s Impressionist and modern art department, assumed responsibility last year for the Middle East section at Christie’s. Pylkkänen says he was “thrilled to have so many artists across the spectrum represented in Dubai. What would normally take me 90 minutes to sell—120-odd lots—took me four hours the other day in view of the active bidding and enthusiasm for the inaugural sale, which was conducted over 100 telephone lines.”

More leading works that drew attention were Spring Festival, 1987, by Lebanese artist Paul Guiragossian (1926-1993), which sold for $64,800 (estimate: $28,000/35,000); and a painting by Iraq’s Dia Azzawi (b. 1939), Oriental Taqasim in Red, 1999, that went for $45,600 (estimate: $20,000/ 30,000).

Pylkkänen terms the event “fantastic” and complimented the 650-odd collectors “for their passion and interest” in supporting contemporary art.

Andy Warhol’s Double Mona Lisa, 1978, fell for $192,000 against a high estimate of $160,000, an encouraging price for a Western artwork sold in the Middle East. Weihe noted that Western art “was very well-received and recognized, fulfilling the intention on our part to create an overreaching international umbrella right from the start.”

Pylkkänen, noting the breakdown of buyers, reports that about 60 percent were Middle Eastern and 40 percent Western. He says he hopes to make the Middle Eastern component a seasonal event in the region.

Asia Week Roundup: Buying Is Strong in All Sectors

Vol. XXXI, No. 18                                                                                                             Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—All sectors of the Asian art market seemed to benefit from growing interest and enthusiasm. At Sotheby’s, on March 31, Contemporary Art Asia brought $13.22 million (see page 2); on March 30, ceramics and works of art fetched $15.7 million; on March 29, Indian and Southeast Asian art grossed $13.63 million; and, on March 28, the Jucker Collection of Himalayan paintings realized $9.05 million for a total of $51.6 million.

Across town at Rockefeller Center, Christie’s Asian sales—comprising Japanese art ($4.6 million), Korean art ($2.2 million); several sales of Chinese ceramics and works of art ($20.1 million); Indian and Southeast Asian art ($3.7 million); and modern and contemporary Indian art ($15.6 million)—totaled $46.2 million.

Along with the new record for Zhang Xiaogang at Sotheby’s, records were set for six other artists, including Chen Yifei (1946-2005), Fang Lijun (b. 1963), Liu Xiaodong (b.1963), Wang Guangyi (b.1957), Xu Bing (b.1955) and Zhang Huan (b.1965). Said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s head of worldwide contemporary art and the auctioneer for the sale: “The enormous energy and enthusiasm in the room today validates this collecting area on a global level.”

Abstractionist Works Fetch High Prices

Abstractionist paintings by artists of Indian origin scored high this spring at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s. An untitled 1975 work by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924-2001) set an auction record for the artist at Christie’s when it fell for $1.47 million against a high estimate of $800,000. The picture was bought by a New York-based hedge fund manager of Indian origin.

The previous day at Sotheby’s, another abstractionist of Indian origin, Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), scored a record with his Tapovan, 1972, for the same price of $1.47 million against a high estimate of $1 million.

Robin Dean, director of Sotheby’s Indian and Southeast Asian Art Department, points out that the auction total was the highest to date for that category and, moreover, established four auction records for some of India’s most senior artists. The sale, Dean says, “demonstrated the growing strength for more contemporary works by younger artists.”

Christie’s specialist head of modern and contemporary art, Yamini Mehta, concurs, citing a work by Tyeb Mehta (b. 1925), Mahisasura, 1997, which sold for nearly $1.16 million last season (ANL, 10/11/05). “This collecting area,” Mehta says, “has grown at an outstanding rate, and we saw a strong surge in both interest and price for the next generation of contemporary artists, such as Rameshwar Broota (b.1941), Subodh Gupta (b.1964) and Ravinder Reddy(b.1956).”

At the Christie’s modern and contemporary Indian art auction on March 30, Sita Hanuman, 1979, by Maqbool Fida Husain (b.1915), set another auction record, selling for $576,000 against a high estimate of $500,000; it was acquired by a collector from the U.K.

Six paintings from Indian artists sold at twice the high estimate, and Untitled (Seated Nude),1962, by Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), doubled its high estimate for $800,000.

At the Sotheby’s Indian and Southeast Asian art sale on March 29, records were set for the artists Ram Kumar (b. 1924), Akbar Padamsee (b.1928) and Jagdish Swaminathan (1929-1994).

At the Sotheby’s sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art on March 30, an early blue and white baluster jar (Guan, Yuan dynasty, 1279-1368) went to an Asian collector for $4.72 million (estimate: $4/5 million).

At Christie’s sales of ceramics and works of art on March 29, a large, early blue and white double-gourd vase from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) brought an above-estimate $2.03 million from an Asian buyer. There was noticeable participation from mainland Chinese clients, and several of the sale highlights were eagerly pursued by both Eastern and Western bidders, says Theow Tow, Christie’s deputy chairman, Asia and Americas, Chinese art.

As part of the Jucker Collection of Himalayan paintings (120 of them Tibetan and Nepalese) at Sotheby’s, a portrait of a Tibetan religious master, Nyö Drupapal, painted circa 1200—athanka—set a record for a Tibetan work of art at $1.13 million, well above the high estimate of $600,000.

Christie’s sale of Japanese art—including property from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—took in $4.56 million. A Hasegawa school (early-17th-century) Tagasode, pair of six-panel screens, made $968,000 (estimate: $800,000/1 million) from an American buyer.

Katsura Yamaguchi, head of Christie’s Japanese and Korean art department, called this the highest price achieved for a work of Japanese art since the 1980s, adding that “bidding kept a brisk and energetic rhythm all during the sale.”

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World








Reviewed by
Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK: A tongue-in-cheek breezy short film that has spoof written all over it from the title to the content to the final scene. Whether one is American or Canadian, Indian or Pakistani, if you have a sense of humor and can laugh at yourself, you will enjoy the movie.

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is the story of what happens when the U.S. Government sends stand-up comic and actor Albert Brooks (Lost in America, Taxi Driver, 1976) to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the over 300 million Muslims laugh. Fred Thompson, former senator from Tennessee who now plays a judge on NBC’s one-hour television show Law & Order, who plays himself, suggests that Brooks should help in a diplomatic effort for the State Department. The carrot for Brooks: possibility of a Medal of Freedom from the President though the downside is, he has to produce a 500-page report for the U.S. government. The film is a comedic view of America’s approach toward other cultures.

Accompanied by two state department employees Stuart (John Carroll Lynch – Dinner with Friends, The Drew Carey Show) and Mark (Jon Tenney – Crime & Punishment, Buying The Cow), Brooks lands in Delhi and after some preliminary interviews, appoints Maya (Sheetal Sheth – ABCD, American Chai) as his assistant for the project. Brooks launches his quest by asking people on the street, “What makes you laugh?” With responses that hover between pathetic and lukewarm (one Indian woman tells Brooks, “Don’t touch me!”), and since he does not find any comedy clubs in India the comedian decides to hold a show – the Big Show – in Delhi.

Brooks later drives into what is supposed to be Pakistan in a clandestine, nocturnal meeting arranged by Stuart and Mark where he continues his quest. It’s all very spooky and hilarious when brawny Pakistanis wait for the punch lines. The audience waits with trepidation if Brooks is likely to be assaulted. To add to the intrigue Brooks has a meeting with the newspaper Al Jazeera. Scenes at the newspaper office and at the Immigration Department in Delhi are authentic through it is tough to believe that so many people in the Big Show audience put up straight faces when Brooks tried to make people laugh. The Pakistan border crossing resembled a temporary fence in your backyard. Some throwaway lines identify Brooks as the “Kissinger of comedy” while someone clarifies, Muslim is not a fabric.

Whether you are Muslim, Jewish or Hindu or whatever your faith, it doesn’t matter as long as you do not take the movie seriously. Where satire does not hesitate to touch on religion or politics and where contemporary events can be approached with a tinge of humour, director, writer and actor Albert Brooks has done a fairly good job.

To a question on how difficult it was to get permission to shoot a movie in India, Brooks responded, “I met with government officials, told them the story, gave them a 45-page outline” but “what they don’t like is when films make fun of their traditions or religions.” To shoot in a mosque in Delhi, Brooks had to meet with the Imam. The crew shot at the Taj Mahal too. “It was a great challenge having 800 people a foot away from your lens staring into the camera,” says Brooks. In India there were no street closures or block lock-ups to help secure a location. Producer Herb Nanas (Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger) says, “You can’t stop life in India, and whether it is people – or in some extreme cases, cows, elephants or monkeys – moving through your shot, we had to incorporate them into the scene and embrace the uniquely crowded environment.”

While some Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and others that constitute the South Asian diaspora may not be on the same wavelength as Americans when it comes to America-based humor, an English-knowing moviegoer is likely to enjoy the farce. It depends on how many of us do laugh at ourselves? Shorts such as Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World would definitely help – specially after 9/11 – if we have open minds and as long as religion does not obsessively sway the equation.

In the finale Brooks is dressed in a typically Indian silk crème coloured tunic with gold sequined trim over matching pants and beaded Indian slippers. His return to his roots in stand-up comedy was perhaps a historic moment for him personally, specially with his dummy Danny also ranting in sartorial unison.

Albert Brooks wrote, directed and stars in Looking for Comedy in a Muslim World, a Warner Independent Pictures release.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, and India.]

Asian Art Totals Soar At Christie’s Hong Kong

by Raj S. Rangarajan


NEW YORK—Asian art auctions set another round of records at Christie’s Hong Kong in late November. Auctions held Nov. 27-30 included Chinese ceramics, classical Chinese paintings, calligraphy, works of art and 20th century Chinese art. An overall sales record of $US139 million (HK$1.08 billion) was set for lots that included Asian art, jewelry and watches.
Asserting the strength of the market in Asia and specifically Hong Kong, Edward Dolman, CEO, Christie’s International, said, “We have surpassed the HK$1 billion mark—the first time any auction house in Asia has achieved this for a series of sales.” Of the total, $100.6 million pertained to Asian art.
Chinese ceramics made $31.79 million, with three pieces setting records: An Imperial embellished cloisonné enamel butter-tea jar, cover and stand, Qianlong period (1736-1795), went to Littleton & Hennessy, New York, for $1.39 million.
Sales of 20th-century Chinese art totaled $22.51 million and registered three artists’ records at auction, including: Four Nudes (from the collection of the Yageo Foundation in Taiwan), by Sanyu (Chang Yu, 1901-66), which sold for $2.12 million at twice the high estimate; Artist Self Portrait, by Pan Yuliang (1895-1977), which brought $1.25 million, more than twice the high estimate; and Autumn, by Chu Teh-Chun (Zhu Dequn, b. 1920), which took $962,000. All three works were bought by private Asian collectors.
Eric Chang, senior director, modern and contemporary Asian pictures, and head of 20th-century Chinese art, said the sale “demonstrates the growing confidence in this exciting market and is a testament to Hong Kong’s role as a leading sale center for Chinese contemporary art.”
Modern and contemporary Chinese paintings earned $21.41 million. A picture by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), Water Bamboo Village, was the top seller at $612,560, slightly above the high estimate of $516,000.
Modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art totaled $5.58 million. The top artist in this category was Indonesian Lee Man Fong (1913-1988), for his Rojak seller, which fell for $510,640, above the high estimate. A record was set for Filipino artist Carlos V. Francisco (1913-1969) when his Magpupukot (Pulling in the Net) was acquired for $187,200.