Supratik auction sets base for first Christie's India sale

Ahead of Christie's inaugural sale in India this December, the global auctioneers have announced successful results for its recent sales of South Asian art held in New York.
The auction "The Art of Nandalal Bose, Abanindranath Tagore, and Rabindranath Tagore: The Collection of Supratik Bose", included in the South Asian sales held on September 17 saw 99 per cent of the total 81 works sourced from personal collection of Bose's nephew, Supratik Bose.
It contributed USD 2,927,000 to the USD 8,023,125 total for the category, the auctioneers said in a statement here.
"These results build upon the success of the sales for all South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art held so far across the year in New York and London, for which Christie's has 47 per cent market share against its main international and local competitors, ahead of the first sale to be held in India this December," the auctioneers said.

Christie's also announced that its very first sale in India has been scheduled to be held at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on December 19 this year. The sale is set to be preceded by a four-day preview in Delhi starting December 6 followed by a three-day showing in Mumbai.
Hugo Weihe, Christie's International Director of Asian Art, said, "After such a fantastic conclusion to our sales in New York this week, we can now turn our full attention to the preparations for Christie's inaugural South Asian Art sale in Mumbai, in exactly three months-time."

"We are making a long term commitment to supporting the already vibrant art market in India and are much looking forward to playing a more active part," Weihe said.

The first sale in India is set to concentrate on South Asian Art Modern and Contemporary Art, a category for which Christie's says it holds the record for both Modern and Contemporary works of art sold at auction.
The first record was set in June 2010, when "Saurashtra" (1983) by S H Raza sold for over USD 3.4 million and the second established in May 2013 when Bharti Kher's, "The Skin Speaks a Language Not its own" sold for over USD 1.7 million.
The auction of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art held on March 20 this year in New York raked in a total of USD 8,574,875 with top lot being S H Raza's 1964 oil on canvas that went under the hammer for USD 1,859,750.

The South Asian art sales in London in June this year fetched Christie's a total of USD 6,815,144 with top lot going to Vasudeo S Gaitonde's 1965 work selling for USD 974,487.
The top lot in the Supratik Bose Collection" sale earlier this month was an untitled (Siva-Simantini) watercolour by Abanindranath Tagore that sold for USD 555,750 to a private buyer. It created a world auction record for the artist.
Raza's oil on board titled "Italian Village" painted in 1953 sold at USD 7,23,750 becoming top lot of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art in New York on September 17, which fetched a total of USD 5,096,125.