Contemporary Art Resonates at $129M Asian Sales

Vol. XXXII, No. 16                                                                                                            by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sales of Asian art in New York, from March 19-23, realized $89.76 million atSotheby’s and $39.56 million at Christie’s, for a total of $129.3 million—compared with $51.6 million and $46.2 million, respectively, a year ago (ANL, 4/25/06), totaling $97.8 million. Among the lots: fine Chinese ceramics and works of art, and contemporary Asian, Indianand southeast Asian art—a category that included modern paintings and miniatures. Contemporary Asian art continues to be a major force behind the growth of sales in recent seasons.

Hailing the auctions as a landmark week for Sotheby’s, Henry Howard-Sneyd, deputy chairman, Europe and Asia, noted, “We saw strength across all categories, with modern and contemporary markets—both Chinese and Indian—having begun to mature and now in periods of steady growth.” Howard-Sneyd further pointed out that Sotheby’s sale totals successively have hit new records each season since 2004.

The sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art (including property of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.) fetched $35.29 million at Sotheby’s, more than double the $15.7 million made a year-ago March. British dealer Roger Keverne bought a rare archaic bronze wine vessel and cover (Fangjia), late Shang dynasty (13th-11th century B.C.), for $8.1 million (estimate: $2/3 million), on behalf of Compton Verney, a museum outside Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The price was a record for Chinese art at Sotheby’s.

Second in the top ten was a rare, massive limestone chimera, bought by an Asian private buyer after intense competition among at least six bidders, for $5.47 million (estimate: $1.5/2.5 million), setting a record for a Chinese stone sculpture. Another major sale was a rare, limestone seated figure of a “pensive” Maitreya, Northern Wei dynasty (early 6th century), acquired by Eskenazi Ltd., London, for $1.36 million (estimate: $300,000/500,000).

Said Joe-Hynn Yang, who heads Sotheby’s Chinese artworks department: The market “responded selectively, but with feverish and often vocal bidding, for the diverse works on offer.”

Records Set for Chinese Artists

Sotheby’s second sale of “Contemporary Art Asia”—including Chinese, Japanese andKorean art—earned $25.35 million, flying past last year’s total of $13.22 million. Several records were achieved for works by Chinese artists, including: Yue Minjun’s Goldfish, 1993, which went to an anonymous buyer for $1.38 million (estimate: $500,000/700,000); and Leng Jun’s Five-Pointed Star, 1999, which fell to a Chinese collector for $1.22 million (estimate: $350,000/450,000).

Of the top ten in this category, works by Chinese artist Zhang Xiaogang, one of China’s topfigurative painters (ANL, 4/25/06, pp. 2-3), accounted for five. His Bloodline: Three Comrades,1994, was won by a European collector for $2.11 million (estimate: $1.5/2 million).

Noting “the highest total to date for a dedicated sale of contemporary Asian art,” Xiaoming Zhang, a specialist in Sotheby’s Chinese contemporary art department in New York, said the market “has reached a state of steady growth, and great works are achieving great prices. We have witnessed two major strengths in this sale: demand for post-1989 works, particularly for the early, rare and historically important—and for works of Chinese realism, which have proven desirable to both Western and Chinese collectors.”

Some art experts, though, are wary of the soaring prices for these works. In an interview with the London Telegraph last month, Simon Groom, director of exhibitions at the Tate Gallery Liverpool, suggested that the market may have produced “China fatigue” by spurring artists to produce works that satisfy market demands instead of turning out “genuinely good, creatively interesting art.”

Conspicuously absent from an exhibition on “The Real Thing: Contemporary Art from China” that opened at Tate Liverpool March 30 and runs through June 10, were works by Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Minjun. The show’s cocurator Karen Smith told the Telegraph, “We selected artists whose agenda has not been tainted by commercial incentives.”

Art of India Fetches $15M

Sotheby’s sale of Indian art (including miniatures and modern paintings) totaled $15 million, with Indian artist Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled, 1987, selling to an Asian collector for $1.16 million (estimate: $800,000/1 million). Rameshwar Broota’s painting Captives, 1989, took $779,200 (estimate: $350,000/450,000) from an unidentified buyer.

Zara Porter Hill, head of Sotheby’s Indian art department, reports that “the high percentages sold by lot (87.6 percent) and by value (94.4 percent) indicate a solid and maturing market, with an increasingly discerning collector base focusing on quality works by senior artists.” She notes “the presence of many new collectors, including new European and American clients successfully competing for high-value works of art.” Nine of the top ten lots were sold, for the most part at prices generously above the high estimates.

Sales of Indian and southeast Asian works of art, including Buddhas and other representational figures, totaled $8.97 million. London gallery John Eskenazi Ltd. acquired the top lot from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery—a Shiva as Brahma, in granite, southern India,Chola period (tenth century)—for $4.07 million (estimate: $3/4 million), on behalf of a private collector.

An American dealer bought the head of a Bodhisattva, schist, ancient region of Gandhara,Kushan period (second century) for $600,000 (estimate: $250,000/350,000). A female torso,sandstone, Khmer, Baphuon style (11th century), made $504,000, more than five times the high estimate of $90,000.

Choson Jar Takes $1.27M at Christie’s

At the Christie’s auction of Japanese and Korean art, a Choson period (18th century) full-moon jar realized $1.27 million, setting a record for white porcelain from that period. Korean artist Lee Daiwon’s work—Columbia Road (Washington, D.C.), I, 1959, sold for $102,000, more than eight times the high estimate of $12,000, setting a record for the artist.

Sales of modern and contemporary Indian art totaled $8.59 million. In the lead was Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s abstract Untitled, 1968, from the collection of Mme. Krishna Riboud, which was acquired by a U.S. buyer for $768,000 (estimate: $500,000/700,000). Others who figured among the top ten were Progressive movement artists Syed Haider Raza, whose Untitled,1982, earned $480,000 (estimate: $250/350,000); and Francis Newton Souza, whose Untitled, Black Nude, 1965, brought $420,000 (estimate: $350,000/500,000).

Says Yamini Mehta, head of Christie’s modern and contemporary Indian art department: “The sale reflected the continued strength and breadth of this collecting field, with Indian artistsRavinder Reddy, Atul and Anju Dodiya, Sudarshan Shetty and Chitra Ganesh performing strongly.”

Sales of Indian and southeast Asian art at Christie’s totaled $7.47 million (87 percent by value, 70 percent by lot). A large bronze of Parvati (south India, Vijayanagar period, 1400) set a world auction record for an Indian work of art when it fetched $2.72 million (estimate: $400,000/600,000) from a European trade buyer. And a large, 12th-century gilt bronze of Buddha Akshobya, Tibet, was picked up by an Asian private buyer for $712,000 (estimate: $350/500,000).

Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art, reports that “many of the star lots performed significantly above their presale estimates, reflecting an informed market willing to honor quality and provenance.”

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.