It was a case of two high-profile extremes at the Christie’s India sale held in Mumbai on December 15. An untitled oil on canvas by V.S. Gaitonde (1924-2001) and “Bindu” by S.H. Raza (b. 1922) were the top headlining acts at the third India sale by the auction house in Mumbai, but at the auction itself, the two canvases ended up at the extreme ends of the spectrum. While the Gaitonde oil set a new record by overshooting its pre-auction estimate and fetching the unprecedented price of $4.4 million (approx. Rs 29.3 crore), the Raza canvas remained untouched. The Gaitonde canvas set a new record not just for the artist but for any work of Indian art, becoming the most expensive Indian painting ever sold, at least for now. It bested the previous record set for a painting by Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), titled “Birth” that had gone for $4.1 million (approx. Rs 27 crore) at another Christie’s auction, held in New York in September. Souza’s “Birth,” in turn had bested Gaitonde’s record of $3.7 million (approx. Rs 23.7) crore set in 2013 at Christie’s first sale in India, held in Mumbai.The record-breaking Gaitonde painting, made in 1995, was bought over phone by an anonymous international buyer, a Christie’s official informed.The other top canvas, “Bindu,” a 1983 oil by New Delhi-based Raza, ended up unsold because of its authenticity being challenged by UAE-based Alturaash Art Dubai (owned by Asif Kamal) before the auction. The allegation, brought against two paintings in the sale — the other being an untitled painting by the late Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) — ruined the chances of the two works finding buyers even though Christie’s had issued an elaborate statement on the two before the auction. The Christie’s statement on the allegation read: “When handling works of art, Christie’s acts in a professional manner, including carrying out full research on all art works before offering them for sale.” The statement added, “For lot 39, “Bindu” painted by Syed Haider Raza (b.1922) in 1983, the artist Mr Raza and the Raza Foundation have authenticated the work. We would also like to share with you a photograph taken on 29 November 2015 during Christie’s India Sale preview in New Delhi, when Mr Raza came to view his artwork and was pleased to be photographed in front of his artwork. The same photograph has been proudly presented by Mr Raza on his Facebook page.” On Swaminathan’s painting, the auction house stated: “Lot 26, “Untitled (Bird, Tree and Mountain Series)” painted by Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) offered in the same auction has been authenticated by the son of the artist. We are therefore looking forward to offering both lots in tonight’s auction.”After the auction, a Christie’s official said, “Our inability to find a buyer for Syed Haider Raza’s “Bindu” was a disappointment.” A total of five artworks and artifacts remained unsold.Apart from these two surprising hiccups, the auction was otherwise a smash-hit act with the total sale amounting to $14.7 million (approx. Rs 97.69 crore). That makes it the highest total for any auction in India. The key takeaways from the sale included nine artist records that were set while 10 lots sold over a crore each. A total of 74 lots (from a field of 99 lots) sold above estimate. Besides, Rs 36 lakh were raised to benefit the victims of recent Chennai floods.Following the Gaitonde oil at the top of the pyramid of canvases selling way above estimates were other high-profile signatures of modern Indian art. An untitled (Two Figures) acrylic on canvas by Tyeb Mehta (1925-2009) achieved the second best price of $1.79 million (approx. Rs 11.94 crore), against its pre-auction estimate of Rs 5 crore - Rs 7 crore. At the third place was an oil on board, “Untitled (Head)” by Mehta again, fetching $998,011 (approx. Rs 6.62 crore) as against its pre-auction estimate of Rs 1.5 crore - Rs 2 crore. On positions #4 to #8 were canvases respectively by Gaitonde, Jehangir Sabavala, M.F. Husain, Raza and Manjit Bawa, all exceeding their pre-auction estimates. On the ninth spot was an untitled ink on paper work by Nasreen Mohamedi (1937-1990), that was picked by an Indian institution for Rs 1.82 crore ($274,651) against its pre-auction estimate of Rs 30 lakh - Rs 50 lakh. There has been a renewed interest in Mohamedi of late, an artist of genius who didn’t achieve comparable fame in her lifetime; she is presently the subject of an exhaustive survey in Madrid, titled “Nasreen Mohamedi: Waiting is a Part of Intense Living,” that has been put together by New Delhi’s Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Featuring 207 of Mohamedi’s works, it is the largest collection of the artist’s oeuvre ever. A monumental granite figure of a Dvarapala from Tamil Nadu, circa 10th century, went for Rs 1.70 crore (approx. $256,567), quite close to its highest pre-auction estimate of Rs 1.80 crore. This was the first time that the classical art was included in the sale; 99% of lots on offer in this section found buyers. An important aspect of the sale of classical art is the fact that these objects being national treasures, cannot be exported out of India but the connoisseurs of this genre of art are steadily growing in numbers. William Robinson, International Head of World Art at Christie’s, who conducted the sale, said, “As leaders in the field of Indian modern and contemporary art, the team has proven that their strategy of ensuring we offer works of the best quality, competitively priced and with great provenance continues to be a winning formula for our clients. The results speak for themselves — 73% of lots sold above estimate, 9 new artist’s records, and a first this year, a consolidation of our position in India with the addition of 28 lots of classical art within our sales. With each sale, our collectors here increase in number and appetite and the demand for works of top quality is there to be met.” Of the six works auctioned for the benefit of Chennai flood victims, the top pick was “Sun Burst” by Alwar Balasubramaniam (b. 1971). Donated by the artist and Talwar Gallery, New Delhi, it sold for Rs 22.5 lakh as opposed to its pre-auction estimate of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. It was executed in 2013, and is number one from an edition of two; it is made of plaster of Paris and acrylic on wood. A total of six works were donated by leading contemporary artists and galleries for this section. The year 2015 marks the 20th year of Christie’s presence in India.Follow@ARTINFOIndia
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