Christie’s New York sales of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, March 2020

Christie’s announces the March sales of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art and Asian Contemporary Art, which will collectively present over 300 lots over two live auctions and two online sales at Christie’s New York.

The sales are led by A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection, which will offer over 150 works of Indian art from the prestigious collection of Jane and Kito de Boer across a live auction (March 18) and online sale (March 13-20). The collection, which began as a way for the couple to engage with India, where they were based in the 1990s, now represents one of the largest holdings of modern Indian art in any private collection. Featured in the sale are rare works by Ganesh Pyne and Rameshwar Broota including the latter’s seminal 1982 painting, The Last Chapter ($250,000-350,000). Additional highlights comprise early paintings by Akbar Padamsee and Maqbool Fida Husain, alongside a strong selection from the Bengal School. Contemporary works include important works by Atul Dodiya, Anish Kapoor, Chittrovanu Mazumdar and Hema Upadhyay. For more information on the collectors, visit Christie’s content feature. The full sale can also be browsed here.

The South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art (March 18) various owner sale features a selection of works representing more than 100 years of creative endeavors and artistic production in the South Asian subcontinent. The sale is led by a seminal painting by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Untitled painted in 1983 alongside exceptional paintings by members of the Progressive Artists’ Group and their associates such as Francis Newton Souza, Maqbool Fida Husain, Akbar Padamsee, Sayed Haider Raza and Tyeb Mehta. Other highlights include important works by other pioneers of modern South Asian art such as Jagdish Swaminathan, Jehangir Sabavala, M.V. Dhurandhar, Sadequain, George Keyt and Zainul Abedin. The full sale can be browsed here.

Deepanjana Klein, International Director of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, remarks: “This season we are honored to present one of the most comprehensive offerings of South Asian modern and contemporary art at auction in recent years. Anchored by the significant de Boer collection, our March sales include an impressive selection by most major artists working in the region for the past century. The depth of Jane and Kito’s collection is a rarity in our field. Institutional in nature and intellect, the de Boers collected Indian art with passion that knew no bounds. Alongside the collection sales, we have assembled a various owner sale that includes important works ranging from those by pioneers of modern South Asian art like Vasudeo Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta, Francis Newton Souza, and Syed Haider Raza to a selection of significant works by increasingly recognized contemporary artists such as Zarina, and Jitish Kallat and Imran Qureshi.”

Additionally, highlights from the June 2020 Asian Art sales will be on public exhibition from March 13-20 at Christie’s New York. The June sales are headlined by the landmark collection Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, featuring over 300 treasured objects from the renowned Chicago collectors and philanthropists spanning South Indian bronzes, Qing dynasty porcelain, Chinese painting, and Chinese and Japanese works of art. Schedules for the March 2020 and June 2020 Asian Art auctions at Christie’s New York are below. Press images can be downloaded here.

SOUTH ASIAN MODERN + CONTEMPORARY ART LIVE AUCTIONS | MARCH 2020

A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection

18 March | 10am | New York

Christie’s is proud to offer A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection, presenting more than 150 works of Indian art from the prestigious collection of Jane and Kito de Boer. Highlights include a suite of rare works by Ganesh Pyne dating from the 1950s to the 1990s, and a range of works by Rameshwar Broota including the seminal 1982 painting, The Last Chapter. Additional highlights comprise early paintings by Akbar Padamsee and Maqbool Fida Husain, alongside a strong selection of works from the Bengal School and artists like Francis Newton Souza, A. Ramachandran, Bikash Bhattacharjee and K. Laxma Goud. Contemporary works in the auction include works by Atul Dodiya and Anish Kapoor. The live auction will be accompanied by an online sale (March 13-20), offering additional works from the collection. The full sale can be browsed here.

South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art

18 March | 11:30am | New York

Christie’s sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art presents a selection of works representing more than 100 years of creative endeavors and artistic production in the South Asian subcontinent. The sale is led by a seminal painting by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Untitled painted in 1983 alongside exceptional paintings by members of the Progressive Artists’ Group and their associates such as Francis Newton Souza, Maqbool Fida Husain, Akbar Padamsee, Sayed Haider Raza and Tyeb Mehta. Other highlights include important works by other pioneers of modern South Asian art such as Jagdish Swaminathan, Jehangir Sabavala, M.V. Dhurandhar, Sadequain, George Keyt and Zainul Abedin. Featuring a range of works by top artists in the field, this season’s sale offers emerging and established collectors unique buying opportunities across the category. The full sale can be browsed here.

A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection

13 March – 20 March | Online

A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection Online sale will offer 70 lots from the celebrated collection. Featured in the online sale is a selection of Indian court paintings in addition to modern works by artists including Ganesh Pyne, Francis Newton Souza, K. Laxma Goud, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Somnath Hore, Prosanto Roy and Abdur Rahman Chughtai among others. Additionally, photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Raghu Rai and Steve McCurry and contemporary works by Chittrovanu Mazumdar and Hema Upadhyay round out the online offering. The full online sale can be browsed here.

Contemporary Art Asia

19 March – 26 March | Online

Contemporary Art Asia Online will comprise of 95 lots spanning modern and contemporary art from Asia. The sale is led by a collection of works by Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita, and a prominent American private collection of Chinese contemporary art, alongside works by noted artists such Ding Yi, Zao Wou-Ki, Liu Ye, Walasse Ting, Ai Weiwei, Zeng Fanzhi, Yoshitomo Nara, Zhan Wang, and Takashi Murakami. With a rich selection of prints, multiples, sculptures, photography, installation, and original works, the sale offers a unique opportunity to acquire affordable works by renowned artists. The sale also extends a frontier overview of the contemporary art scene with works by Hajime Sorayama, MADSAKI, Hiroyuki Matsuura, Tatsuo Miyajima, and KAWS. The full sale can be browsed here.

Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, had auction sales in the first half of 2019 that totalled £2.2 billion / $2.8 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.

Alongside regular sales online, Christie’s has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

*Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price - see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees