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 Classical & Contemporary Indian and South Asian Art, 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." 

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.  

Asian Art Week continues with one more live sale and four online auctions that remain open for bidding until next week.  

MARCH 2024 | ASIAN ART WEEK  

LIVE AUCTION

• 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