HOTSHEET

Compiled by Chumki Bharadwaj and Srishti Jha

The world’s leading art house Christie’s witnessed its fourth successive India sale with works of classical, modern and contemporary art from India sold for more than `72.16 crore. Forty-one works from the private collection of Abhishek and Radhika Poddar led the sale, selling for `29.06 crore. Meera Mukherjee and Hemendranath Mazumdar’s works had record breaking numbers. Held at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, the top two lots in the modern and contemporary section were both untitled works by V.S. Gaitonde, the highest lot selling for more than `15 crores and the second, from the Poddar Collection, selling for more `11 crore. Three lots in the sale were sold for more `10 crore. In the classical section, the top lot of the sale was a folio from an iconic Pahari series of Ragamala paintings attributed to the small Himalayan foothill of Basohli, which sold for `93.25 lakh. An unusually large and exceedingly rare stone figure of a Mother Goddess, possibly a Matrika, circa 6th century, sold for `43.75 lakh. This was followed by an art forum hosted by Christie’s at the Serendipity Art Festival in Goa on December 20. Auctions in this category will be held in 2017 in New York, London and Mumbai. For more information log on to www.christies.com