AstaGuru’s ‘Present Future’ Auction Highlights!

September 25, 2023

AstaGuru’s ‘Present Future’ auction of works by leading contemporary artists took place on 23-24^th September 2023. The auction registered total winning bid value of INR 25.88 Crores (USD 3.17 Million) across 98 lots sold. Anish Kapoor, Atul Dodiya, Nalini Malani, Bharti Kher and Sheila Makhijani were the star performer artists of the auction.

AstaGuru’s ‘Present Future’ contemporary art auction took place over two days (23-24^th September) via an online bidding system. The auction catalogue consisted of over 100 contemporary art works by 67 artists, created in diverse styles, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and mixed media art. The auction participated by art collectors from across the globe registered a total sale value of INR 25,88,78,206 (USD 3,179,535) through sale of 98 lots out of the 100 lots presented.

Anish Kapoor, Atul Dodiya, Nalini Malani, Bharti Kher and Sheila Makhijani were the star performers of the auction as per the total sale value of their works. Closely following them were Nataraj Sharma, Valay Shende and Surendran Nair.

The artworks which won the top 10 deals by value were as follows:

Lot 31 – ‘Untitled’ by Anish Kapoor – INR 6,24,62,406 (USD 752,559)
Lot 111 – ‘Untitled’ by Anish Kapoor – INR 6,24,62,406 (USD 752,559)
Lot 15 – ‘Gau-raksha Meeting’ by Atul Dodiya – INR 2,04, 56,095 (USD 255,701)
Lot 88 – Nalini Malani – ‘First Romance’ – INR 1,19,28,630 (USD 149,107)
Lot 73 – Bharti Kher – ‘Seeing Some Things Better’ – INR 82,78,150 (USD 103,476)
Lot 40 – Sheila Makhijani – ‘Going Going Gone’ – INR 71,44,610 (USD 89,307)
Lot 52 – Nalini Malani – ‘And Quietly Flows the River – Living in Alicetime’ – INR 66,54,378 (USD 83,179)
Lot 95 – Nataraj Sharma – ‘Sama Talav’ – INR 42,40,566 (USD 53,007)
Lot 100 – Valay Shende – ‘Peacock Ed:5 2AP) – INR 42,40,566 (USD 53,007)
Lot 66 – Surendran Nair – ‘Cuckoonebulopolis Series’ – INR 37,56,211 (USD 46,952)

31 - Copy — Lot No. 31 - Anish Kapoor - 'Untitled'

Untitled work by Anish Kapoor (Lot 31) from the series of mirror-esque stainless steel discs exceeded estimated sale value of INR 3,32,00,000 – 4,98,00,000 by a significant margin of over 1 Crore, selling at INR 6,24,62,406 (USD 752,559).

Lot no. 111, an untitled work by Anish Kapoor made using fibreglass and paint was valued at INR 6,24,62,406 (USD 752,559) against an estimated sale value of INR 3,32,00,000 – 4,98,00,000, thus exceeding the expectation by over 1 Crore.

15 (1) - Copy — Lot No. 15 - Atul Dodiya - 'Gau-Raksha Meeting'

Acquiring the top third position in the auction, Lot no. 15 by artist Atul Dodiya, a painting titled ‘Gau-Raksha meeting’ was the most exciting entry in the entire auction, as it exceeded its estimated sale value of INR 15,00,000 – 20,00,000 by a whopping ten times, with a final winning bid of INR 2,04,56,095 (USD 255,701).

88 - Copy — Lot No. 88 - Nalini Malani - 'First Romance'

Lot no. 88, Nalini Malani’s, ‘First Romance’ Exceeded the higher end of the expectation with by a five-fold higher sale value of INR 1,19,28,630 (USD 149,107) against an estimated sale value of INR 15,00,000 – 20,00,000.

73 - Copy — Lot No. 73 - Bharti Kher -'Seeing Some Things Better'

Lot 73 titled ‘Seeing Some Things Better’ by senior artist Bharti Kher obtained top fifth position with a sale value of INR 82,78,150 (USD 103,476) which is significantly higher than the estimated sale value of INR 40,00,000 – 50,00,000.

Present-Future-23sep-40l - Copy — Lot 40 - Sheila Makhijani - ‘Going Going Gone’

Lot 40 was another one which showed extraordinary performance, Sheila Makhijani’s ‘Going Going Gone’ fetching INR 71,44,610 (USD 89,307) which exceeded the estimated sale value of INR 10,00,000 – 15,00,000 by about four and a half times.

52 - Copy — Lot No. 52 - Nalini Malani - 'And Quietly Flows the River - Living in Alicetime'

At 7^th position, Nalini Malani’s Lot no. 52, titled ‘Quietly Flows the River’, a captivating creation from her ‘Living in Alicetime’ series exceeded the estimated sale value of INR 15,00,000 – 20,00,000 by thrice at INR 66,54,378 (USD 83,179)

95 - Copy — Lot No. 95 - Nataraj Sharma - 'Sama Talav'

Lot no. 95, by artist Nataraj Sharma titled ‘Sama Talav’ was valued at INR 42,40,566 (USD 53,007) exceeding the estimated sale value of INR 30,00,000 – 35,00,000 by a significant margin.

100 - Copy — Lot No. 100 - Valay Shende - 'Peacock'

Out of the three eye catching works by Valay Shende, Lot 100 ‘Peacock Ed:5 2AP) stood at 9^th position with sale value of INR 42,40,566 (USD 53,007) exceeding the estimated sale value of INR 30,00,000 – 40,00,000.

Present-Future-23sep-66l - Copy — Lot 66 - Surendran Nair - ‘Cuckoonebulopolis Series’

Lot 66, Surendran Nair’s paining from ‘Cuckoonebulopolis Series’ fetching INR 37,56,211 (USD 46,952) in the auction secured top 10^th position, significantly exceeding the expected sale value of INR 10,00,000 – 15,00,000.

These top performing artists were closely followed by several artists with their significantly performing works, which included Baiju Parthan, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Jayashree Chakravarty, Jitish Kallat, T V Santhosh, Shovin Bhattacharjee, Jagannath Panda, Chitrovanu Mazumdar, Dhananjay Singh, Hem Raj, Ranbir Singh Kaleka, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi and G R Iranna.

80 - Copy — Lot No. 80 - Baiju Parthan - 'Gargoyle River' (Tetraptych)

44 - Copy — Lot No. 44 - Mrinalini Mukherjee - 'Untitled'

8 - Copy — Lot No. 8 - Jitish Kallat - 'Frozen Footnotes -1'

Talking about the upcoming auction, Ankita Talreja, AVP, AstaGuru Auction House, said: “We are delighted to showcase this remarkable collection of works by leading artists who are reshaping the narrative of Indian art in the modern era. Rooted in their individual histories and cultural backgrounds, these experiential creations possess a unique blend of personal and universal elements. They mirror the rich diversity of contemporary Indian art.”

For more information, please log on to www.astaguru.com

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Vineel Bhurke