Husain gains prominence for Indian Art in Auction September 16

Zara Porter Hill, International Head of Indian Art at Sotheby's said: “The vibrancy of the Indian art market returned to Sotheby's in this sale”. Paintings from the 18th century to the latest contemporary art achieved exceptional prices with a number of artist records being set. The result far exceeded the low estimate. Competitive international bidding resulted in more than half the sold lots achieving prices in excess of the high estimate. The highlight of the sale was undoubtedly the group of works by MF Husain led by Cinq Sens which sold for $782,500 exceeding the $500/700,000 estimate. In addition to Cing Sens a number of other MF Husain paintings achieved strong prices including That Obscure Object of Desire, Diptych which fetched $482,500 and Untitled (Benares) which sold for $362,500. Further highlights included two contemporary paintings that sold for many times pre-sale expectations - Bhupen Khakhar's Muslims Around a Mosque II, 2001 fetched $650,500 to set a new record for the artist at auction and Munna Apa's Garden by Arpita Singh which sold for $506,500 also a new artist record (est. $100/150,000). An additional highlight was the world record price for An Illustration from a Gita Govinda series: Radha proceeds to her Tryst with Krishna from 1780 has fetched $290,500.

Christie's

South Asian Splendor

September 14

This sale pays tribute to South Asia's diverse history and geography, as reflected in its artwork. From Indian folk paintings and highly original Tibetan lama portraits to rare Gandharan silver and Himalayan bronze sculptures. The highlights of the sale was A Roman Silver Kantharos Gandhara, Circa Late 1st Century B.C. which fetched $434,500, A Gilt Bronze Figure of Vajrasattva Mongolia, Zanabazar School, 18thCenturyselling for $314,500, A Rare Gilt Copper Figure of Amoghapasa Nepal, 14th Century for $170,500, A Thangka of The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchug Dorje, Tibet, 18thCentury for $164,500, A Silver Cup Gandhara, Circa Late 1st Century B.C. for $146,500.

Raza dose it again

September 15

On September 15th, Christie's South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art auction included over 106 carefully selected works from leading 20th and 21st century South Asian artists. Total lots sold were 65. Raza again came into prominence with his 'La Terre' fetching $1,930,500. The other top lots were Francis Newton Souza, Untitled (Large Head) selling for $1,426,500, Subodh Gupta's Two Cows for $542,500, Husain's Untitled (Sitar Player) for $422,500, Manjit Bawa's Untitled (Durga) for $314,500, Syed Haider Raza's Rajasthan for $290,500.

SAFFRONART

AUTUMN AUCTION

September 8-9

Saffronart held their annual Online Autumn Auction setting new records. The auction was conducted for two days featuring a comprehensive collection of Indian contemporary artists like Husain, Raza, Jehangir Sabavala, Meera Mukherjee, Ram Kumar, Souza, Jogen Chowdhury and many more. With 76% lots sold in the auction 51% of the lots surpassed the estimated price. The top lots being S H Raza's Bhartiya Samaroh selling for $ 905,000, Jogen Chowdhury's Couple I - Man and Woman for $ 354,583, Francis Newton Souza's Last Howl from the Cross sold for $ 345,000, Maqbool Fida Husain's Untitled for $ 287,500, Subodh Gupta's Untitled sold for $ 271,400, Jehangir Sabavala, Icarus sold for $ 258,762

Forthcoming Auctions

Sotheby's

Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings

October 4

The Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings sale offers over 150 exceptional works with a total estimate in excess of HK$30 million/ US$3.9 million. Sotheby's will present a careful selection of works by established modern masters, highlighted by S. Sudjojono's A New Dawn. The Contemporary section will feature record-breaking artists led by I Nyoman Masriadi, as well as a group of exhilarating works of young and upcoming artists who have demonstrated outstanding creativity and potential in their creations. There will also be innovative 3-D installation works that, along with the other bold selections in this Autumn Sale season, are sure to stimulate the collecting interests of new and established art collectors alike.

Treasures from the Islamic World

October 5

The Princely Collection comprises an impressive array of major objects, some without parallel at auction, offering a unique opportunity for private collectors and museums to acquire works of exceptional rarity and importance. In its entirety the collection offers a representation of the material culture of the Islamic world, covering the main periods, regions and media. This exceptional collection expresses the quintessential qualities of Islamic art, evoking the spirit of learning and inquiry promoted under Muslim patronage at a time when the greater part of Europe was struggling to emerge from the Dark Ages. One of the pillars of Islamic art, the arts of the book, are gloriously represented within the collection by a spectacularly illuminated Qur'an from 16th century Persia and a tafsir al-Qur'an almost certainly made for Shah Tahmasp, and copied at Mecca by the royal scribe Kamal Al-Din Husain Al-Hafiz Al-Haravi. There are also splendid examples of Kufic script from the early centuries of Islam, exemplified by the breathtakingly opulent, yet subtle simplicity of a Qur'an leaf executed in gold on blue-dyed vellum, an echo of a now ancient rivalry between the traditions of the early Islamic period and the Byzantine Empire. A rare and important Qur'an from Brunei is dated 1660 AD and dedicated to the then Sultan of Brunei, Muhyiddin (r.1655-70), whilst a further Qur'an displays fine and beautiful illumination typical of the Deccani sultans of 16th-century India.

IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART, INCLUDING RUSSIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN ART

October 7

This sale offers a wide range of Impressionist and Modern art to the experienced and new collector alike. Francis Picabia's Impressionist-period oil, our back cover, presents the viewer with a luxuriant autumnal landscape in brilliant October hues. Gustave Loiseau's striking scene of the Arc de Triomphe is one of several views of the French capital, including Pierre-Eugene Montezin's view of Les Halles and Jean Dufy's Place du Tertre. The sale is rich in landscapes by Albert Marquet, Albert Lebourg and Maximilien Luce. In the Modern section of the sale, drawings by Jean Arp, Pablo Picasso and Ben Nicholson and sculptures by Alexander Archipenko and Henry Moore are sure to attract attention. At the heart of the Russian section are a large group of works by Pavel Tchelitchew which come directly from the Estates of Charles Henri Ford and his sister Ruth Ford. Charles Henri Ford and Pavel Tchelitchew were companions for the last 20 years of Tchelitchew's life and they collaborated on the décor and costumes for the Paper Ball, a major social event at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut in 1936. The Russian section is also particularly rich in paintings by David Burliuk. Among the Latin American highlights are drawings by Diego Rivera and Francisco Zuniga, and sculptures by Alicia Penalba.

Contemporary Art Auction

October 15

Coinciding with London's world-renowned Frieze Art Fair, Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Auction to be held at New Bond Street on Friday 15th October will showcase outstanding pieces by both well-established and more emerging artists. Over recent years this auction has become a widely anticipated feature of this most important week in London's art world calendar. The Auction will feature masters like Tim Noble, Sue Webster, Ahmed Alsoudani, Elizabeth Peyton, Andreas Gursky and many more.

Christie's

Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds

October 5

The London sale of Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds this October will offer an array of important and beautiful works. Featuring over 400 lots, with estimates ranging from £500 to £1.1million, the sale is expected to realise in excess of £8.5 million. The early periods are particularly well represented, with strong groups of ceramic and glass pieces, offered alongside an equally strong array of textiles, many of which date to the 17th century and Safavid. With affordable estimates the textiles range from £500 to £20,000; the group is lead by a magnificent 17th century Safavid figural velvet panel (estimate: £800,000-1,200,000). Amongst other highlights is a rare 11th century silk robe from Central Asia (estimate: £400,000-600,000) illustrated left and a group of very nice Qur'anic material, comprising of Qur'ans, half Qur'ans or Qur'an folios, including a bifolium from a famous scribe: attributed to Arghun al- Kamili, the illumination attributed to Muhammad bin Sayf al-Din al-Naqqash, probably Baghdad, circa 1335 (estimate: £30,000-40,000).

POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY AUCTION

October 14

The Post-War &Contemporary Evening Auction will offer 51 lots with a combined estimate of £15,950,000 to £22,710,000. The auction is led by I am become death, shatterer of worlds, the largest sized butterfly painting to have been executed by Damien Hirst (b.1965). The most important work by the artist to be offered at auction since Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, the artist's solo auction in London in September 2008, it is expected to realise £2.5 million to £3.5 million. Over 5 meters wide, the title reflects the words uttered by J. Robert Oppenheimer following the detonation of the Atomic bomb. The auction will also offer 3 works which were exhibited at USA TODAY, the celebrated exhibition which spot-lighted a new generation of American artists explicitly tackling the legacy of America in the 21st century. The exhibition was held at The Royal Academy in 2006, and at The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in 2007 and 2008. The works to be offered at Christie's are Kryptonite, 2006, by Mark Bradford (b.1961) (estimate: £200,000 to £300,000); The People that Pay and The People that Play, 2004, by Jules de Balincourt (b.1972) (estimate: £70,000 to £100,000); and Black Star Press (rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise); Black Star, Black Press, Star Press, 2006, by Kelley Walker (b.1969) (estimate: £500,000 to £700,000). Jackie by Andy Warhol (b. 1928) (estimate : £500,000 to £700,000).

Bonhams

Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern & South Asian Art

October 11

In October Bonhams will bring a selction of works by South Asian Artists. The selection comprises the works of Jamini Roy, Abdur Rahman, Jamil Naqsh, B Prabha, Husain, Biren De, Raza, Arpita Singh and many more. This collection adds the required boost to the south asian auctions by reaching out to a new market developing in Dubai. This auction surely has the prospect of achieving new goals and setting new records.