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Jehangir Sabavala Leads Christie's $9.39m 'South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art' Auction in New York

3 min read  ·  19 Sep 2024

The Radiant Spheres by Jehangir Sabavala sold for $730,800.
Image courtesy of Christie's

The Radiant Spheres by Jehangir Sabavala sold for $730,800. Image courtesy of Christie's

A work by Jehangir Sabavala was the headline sale at Christie's 'South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art' auction on September 18 in New York.

  • The sale totaled $9.39m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

  • 102 works sold totaling $9.39m.
  • Estimates totaled: $4.51m (low) and $6.47m (high), excluding premiums.
  • The sell-through rate was 94% of the original 108 lots announced.

The star lot was: Jehangir Sabavala, The Radiant Spheres (1963), which sold for $730,800, 192% above its $250,000 low estimate. It has been traded once in the past.

The outperformer sold for 950% above its low estimate. Mohammad Kibria, Earth (1966), sold for $63,000 ($6,000 low estimate). It has been traded once in the past.

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

Breakdown of results against auction house estimates that are disclosed

  • 83 works, or 81%, sold above their high estimate.
  • 19 works, or 19%, 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

2 works were bought-in, including: Francis Newton Souza, Resurrected Christ (1962), estimated at $600,000 (low) to $800,000 (high). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

Withdrawn before the sale

4 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Abanindranath Tagore, Untitled (Queen) (Undated) estimated at $20,000 (low) to $30,000 (high).

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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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