Christie's 2009 sale to feature works of Indian artists

The Economic Times

11 May 2009

Ashoke Nag

KOLKATA: Christie’s 2009 sale of Asian Contemporary Art in end-May in Hong Kong will feature a select group of works by leading artists from the Indian subcontinent. In both an Evening and Day sale, collectors will be presented works of artists such as T.V. Santosh, Jitish Kallat and Atul Dodiya, as well as works by cutting-edge artists on the rise, some of whom are figuring for the first time at auction. 

"Since launching Modern and Contemporary Indian Art sales in New York in 2000, worldwide sales in this category at Christie’s have grown from US$656,000 to over US$45 million in 2008 and we now have regular sales in New York, London and Hong Kong. Our selection later this month in Hong Kong will appeal to a range of buyers from around the world and collectors of all levels," Christie’s representative in India, Menaka Kumari-Shah, told ET. 

The Evening Sale on May 24 offers Christie’s Asian Contemporary Art Evening Sale on May 24 features two seminal paintings by Mumbai-based artists, Jitish Kallat and T.V. Santosh. Having set the world auction record for a work by Jitish Kallat at over HK$1.5 million in May 2008, this sale offers collectors the opportunity to acquire Kallat’s painting Universal Recipient 1 which is estimated at HK$700,000-900,000/US$89,700-115,400. At the same time, Hundred Square Feet of Curses by T.V. Santosh is pegged in the range of HK$500,000-800,000/US$64,100-102,600. 

The Day Sale on May 25 could entice new and seasoned collectors alike with a number of works by both recognised and celebrated artists as well as the category’s rising stars. Being included at auction for the first time is Anirban Mitra, a Kolkata-based artist whose painting High Tide, Low Everywhere is estimated in the band of HK$40,000-60,000/US$5,100-7,700. 

Also on offer are a rare set of stamp works by Ashim Purkayastha, estimated at $60,000-80,000/US$7,700-10,300, where the artist has painted over Indian revenue stamps. 

The Day Sale also includes a canvas by Sunil Gawde, an artist who has received international critical acclaim and is included at this year’s Venice Biennale which opens in June 2009. Also presented is a selection of works in a number of different mediums, including a sculptural installation titled Your Pact of Angst II by T.V. Santosh estimated at HK$180,000-250,000/US$23,100-32,100, photographs by artist and water-environmentalist Atul Bhalla, a watercolour by Atul Dodiya and drawings by Tushar Joag and Mithu Sen.