Christie's South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Auction Totals $22.57m

A work by Francis Newton Souza was the headline sale at Christie's 'South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art' auction on September 16 in New York.

• The sale totaled $22.57m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 112 works sold totaling $22.57m.
• Estimates totaled: $7.34m (low) and $11m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Francis Newton Souza, Woman with Lamp (1949), which sold for $2.3m, 476% above its $400,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 5020% above its low estimate. Benodebehari Mukherjee, Untitled (Seated Figure) (Undated), sold for $128,000 ($2,500 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

• 100 works, or 89%, sold above their high estimate.
• 12 works, or 11%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 0 works, or 0%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

No sales had a guarantee.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.