A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF PADMAPANI LOKESHVARA

Christie’s first-ever Asian Art Week Online totaled $8,952,625, establishing the highest total achieved for Asian art online-only sales with global participation from 22 countries.

A RARE LARGE BLUE AND WHITE OVOID JAR AND COVER

The top lot of the week was an important painting by Tyeb Mehta (1925-2009), one of his earliest explorations of the Falling Figure, which realized $975,000, achieving the highest price for a South Asian Modern + Contemporary work sold since lockdown and setting a new benchmark for the category in an online auction. 

Tina Zonars, Co-Chairman of Asian Art at Christie’s, remarks: “We are delighted with the strong results achieved for our first-ever online installment of Asian Art Week, which established new benchmarks for the value thresholds of transacting online for all categories of Asian art. Throughout the virtual sale week, we had buyers from 22 countries hailing from across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the U.S. with competitive bidding witnessed for each sale. This lockdown period has been an unparalleled time of change and innovation. As an organization we are leading the way with innovative offerings and developing digital platforms that allow us to serve our clients to the highest standards possible. We now look forward to our fall season of sales beginning in September in New York .” 

Tyeb Mehta, Falling Figure

Christie’s New York’s Online sale of Japanese Art and Korean Art (July 7-23), totaled $539,375 and achieving an impressive 111% hammer price compared to the total low estimate. 

The top lots of the sale were an iron articulated sculpture of a crow, Edo Period (19th Century), which sold for $100,000 against a low estimate of $40,000; and Korean screen from the 19th century, titled A Mounted Set of Sixty Leaf Paintings, which realized $100,000 against a low estimate of $30,000. Strong prices were also realized for Japanese woodblock prints by renowned artists such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Hasui, and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. 

Christie’s New York’s Online sale of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (July 7-24), totaled $2,530,625 achieving an impressive 185% hammer above low estimate.