Christie’s Sets Souza Record – South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Totals: $19,721,120
WORLD-RECORD FOR FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Totals: $19,721,120 II 310% Sold by Low Estimate; 100% Sold by Lot
NEW YORK – Asian Art Week opened yesterday with a new world record for Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai. Today, the records continue with a second record-breaking sale, as South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Including Works from the Collection of Umesh and Sunanda Gaur totaled $19,721,120, the sale was 100 percent sold by lot, and 310 percent by low estimate. The sale was a celebration of the 100th birth anniversary of Francis Newton Souza, and fittingly, Christie’s set the record for a work by the artist, when Souza’s The Lovers sold for $4,890,000. Other highlights of the sale included Souza’s Priest with Chalice, which sold for $3,922,000. Gulammohammed Sheikh’s Portrait of a Tree realized $1,381,000, nine-times its low estimate. Souza’s Men in Boats sold for $693,000, Manjit Bawa’s Untitled more than doubled its low estimate, realizing $693,000, while Souza’s Untitled (Head of a Cardinal) achieved $630,000.
Nishad Avari, Head of Indian Art at Christie’s, said: “”Christie’s is thrilled to have set a new record for Francis Newton Souza in this landmark sale that celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth. The market for this artist and this category are stronger than ever, a testament to the brilliance of South Asia’s artists.”
Select Results | South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Including Works from the Collection of
Umesh and Sunanda Gaur | 20 March 2024
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| FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA (1924-2002) Priest with Chalice oil on board Price Realized: $3,922,000 | GULAMMOHAMMED SHEIKH (B. 1937) Portrait of a TreePrice Realized: $ 1,381,000 | FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA (1924-2002)Men in Boats oil on board Price Realized: $693,000 |
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| MANJIT BAWA (1941-2008) Untitled oil on canvas Price Realized: $693,000 | FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA (1924-2002) Untitled (Head of a Cardinal) oil on board Price Realized: $630,000 |
The day began with the sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, which totaled $1,231,020. Highlights of the sale included, a large gilt-bronze figure of Amitabha of the 15th-16th century in Tibet, which made $239,400; a gilt-bronze figure of Chakrasamvara from Nepal in the 15th Century, which brought $201,600; and a portrait of Kashmir Darners, from Punjab, which made $107,100.
Select Results | Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works | 20 March 2024
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| A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF CHAKRASAMVARA NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY Price Realized: $201,600 | A LARGE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF AMITABHA TIBET, 15TH-16TH CENTURYPrice Realized: $239,400 | A PORTRAIT OF KASHMIR DARNERS INDIA, PUNJAB, PROBABLY AMRITSAR, ATTRIBUTED TO BISHAN SINGH, CIRCA 1870Price Realized: $107,100 |
Asian Art Week continues with three more live sales and four online auctions that remain open for bidding until next week.
MARCH 2024 | ASIAN ART WEEK
LIVE AUCTIONS
Important Chinese Art Including the Collection of Dorothy Tapper Goldman | 21-22 March 2024, 9 am EST
ONLINE SALES
Landscapes of Japan: Woodblock Prints from Edo to Post-War | 13-26 March 2024
South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Online | 13-27 March 2024
Arts of Asia Online | 13- 28 March 2024
Chinese Works of Art from the Collection of Dorothy Tapper Goldman | 13-29 March 2024
(This story has not been edited by News Mania staff and is published from a Media Release)
