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

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.

• 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Withdrawn before the sale

4 works were withdrawn before the sale, including: Abanindranath Tagore, Untitled (Queen) (Undated) estimated at $20,000 (low) to $30,000 (high).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Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.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.