Art News. Vasari Codex

The Red-Hot Market for South Asian Modernism Has a New Star

A 1989 painting by Bangladeshi modernist S.M. Sultan, titled *Untitled (Cultivation)*, sold for $50,800 at Christie’s New York on Wednesday, more than doubling its high estimate of $25,000 and setting a new auction record for the artist. The work was acquired by a South Asian institution. Sultan, who died in 1994, is known for his depictions of muscular peasants and has only 14 recorded auction results, with his previous record of $19,500 set just two months earlier at Sotheby’s.

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Asian Art Week Live Sales Total: $46,685,403 - Christie's

Christie's Asian Art Week live sales in New York totaled $46,685,403, achieving 259% hammer and premium above low estimate with a 91% sell-through rate. The three sales—Japanese and Korean Art ($2.46 million), South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art ($12.38 million, 100% sold), and Important Chinese Furniture and Works of Art ($31.84 million)—saw strong bidding across categories. A Yongzheng-period falangcai wine cup led the week at $1.59 million, while a Hokusai painting of a Standing Beauty fetched $444,500 and a Vasudeo S. Gaitonde Untitled (1984) realized $2.39 million. Christie's set four artist records in the South Asian sale, including for Sheikh Mohammed Sultan and Ivan Peries.

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