2013! Ashok Art Gallery wishes a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

As 2012 draws to a close, it feels like a one-step-forward, two-steps-back kind of year.To all our "Smart" visitors: We send you all best wishes for a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous (so we can all buy/create more art works) new year. Here's hoping that 2013 brings only good things. We appreciate you all; you are the best! HAPPY 2013

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

Art is portable and liquid, and can be traded in different currencies, Unique works are not always the record-breakers, here is top ten of this season

The top end of the art market appears to keep climbing, despite fresh crises in the currency and banking markets and ongoing turmoil in the Eurozone. The geographic concentration of wealth has expanded, too, and this is having an impact on traditional investments. In newer econ­omies with more volatile, or less mature, financial markets, the rich spend more on luxury assets, including art, jewellery, wine and cars. According to a recent survey of 2,000 of the world’s super-rich individuals by Barclays Wealth, respondents in the United Arab Emirates hold 18% of their wealth in such assets, closely followed by the Chinese and Saudi Arabians (both 17%) and the Brazilians (15%)—compared with 9% of Americans, who tend to focus on more traditional investments. 


Buyers from China and Qatar are entering the trade at this luxury level: they account for at least a quarter of the top 20 works sold at auction. There has been a parallel boom in private sales, including the reported $250m acquisition of Cézanne’s The Card Players, around 1893, by Qatar last year. The expansion is not without problems, however. One of the most expensive works to sell at auction, an 18th-century Qianlong-dynasty porcelain vase that went for £51.6m ($83m) in 2010 at Bainbridges Auctions in England, is a record only on paper—the buyers have yet to pay for it. 


It has been a tumultuous spring in the auction world, with sales of truly spectacular artwork punctuating much mediocrity. As many have pointed out, there is something of a split in the art market, with the freshest, most sought-after blockbuster work going for record prices -- qualities shared by all the works on this stellar top-ten list -- and the merely pedestrian languishing in salesrooms at or below their estimates or, worse, not selling at all.Here is the top ten auction lots of the spring season...

Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale
2 May 2012, Sotheby's


Lot 20
Edvard Munch
The Scream
1895, pastel on board in the original frame
Price Realized: $119.9 million


Courtesy Sotheby's

Post-War Contemporary Evening Sale
Christie's, 8 May 2012


Lot 20
Mark Rothko
Orange, Red, Yellow
1961, oil on canvas
Price Realized: $86.9 million

Courtesy Christie's

Contemporary Art Evening Sale
Sotheby's, 9 May 2012


Francis Bacon
Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror
1976, oil on canvas
Price Realized: $44.9 million

Courtesy Sotheby's

Contemporary Art Evening Sale
Sotheby's, 9 May 2012


Roy Lichtenstein
Sleeping Girl
1964, oil and magna on canvas
Price Realized: $44.9 million

Courtesy Sotheby's

Contemporary Art Evening Sale
Sotheby's, 9 May 2012


Andy Warhol
Double Elvis [Ferus Type]
1963, silkscreen ink and spray paint on canvas
Price Realized: $37 million

Courtesy Sotheby's

Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Auction | June 19, 2012 | Sotheby's London 




Lot 10
Joan Miro
"Peinture (Étoile Bleue)," 1927
Price Realized: $36.9 million

Courtesy of Sotheby's

Post-War Contemporary Evening Sale
Christie's, 8 May 2012


Lot 34
Yves Klein
FC1 (Fire Color 1)
1962, dry pigments and synthetic resin on panel with artist's frame
Price Realized: $36.5 million

Courtesy Christie's

Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction | June 27, 2012 | Christie's London 




Lot 9
Yves Klein
"Le Rose du bleu (RE 22)," 1960
Price realized: $36.8 million

Courtesy of Christie's Images LTD. 2012

Old Master & British Paintings Evening Sale
3 July 2012, Christie's London


Lot 37
John Constable
The Lock
Oil on canvas
Price Realized: $35.2 million

Courtesy Christie's

Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction | June 27, 2012 | Christie's London 




Lot 25
Francis Bacon
"Study for Self-Portrait," 1964
Price realized: $33.6 million

Courtesy of Christie's Images LTD. 2012







The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

In 2011, the global art auction market generated 21% more than in 2010 and every single segment of the art market had progressed in terms of turnover

While old economies are struggling, growth is accelerating in the BRICS countries. The five BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa- have been enjoying much stronger economic expansion than the developed countries and China's growth in particular has profoundly modified the geographical structure of the global art market according to thierry Ehrmann, the founder and CEO of Artprice, the world leader in art market information. Moreover, in Singapore, Beijing and Hong Kong, politicians are aware of the enormous economic potential of art for their state or their city, and their governments strongly support major cultural events including Contemporary Art fairs. In addition to the 49% growth in auction revenue from artworks in China, a number of other Asian countries have also posted particularly dynamic growth.

While Christie's continued to lead the auction market for Indian art with sales in excess of $20 million (Rs 100 crore) in 2011, Sotheby’s was second with its Indian art sales at $9.5 million (Rs 50 crore). At an online auction conducted by a Mumbai-based firm last year, paintings by Indian artists, including big names like Syed Haider Raza, Tyeb Mehta, Jehangir Sabavala, fetched more than US$14 million (Rs 70 crore).

“The Indian contemporary and modern art market has grown. The fact that we have added more sale locations for this category shows the increasing global demand for modern and contemporary Indian art,” said Sonal Singh, associate director, south Asian modern + contemporary art, Christie’s. The auction house has three international sites — New York, London and Hong Kong — where Indian art is auctioned.

“Top quality art with stellar provenance and in good condition finds buyers in India and world-over. In the past 18 months, we have seen record prices for artists such as Raza and Akbar Padamsee,” said Maithili Parekh, director, Sotheby’s.

Raza’s painting ‘Saurashtra’, which was auctioned for US$34,86,965 (around Rs 17 crore) in June 2010, is the most expensive Indian artwork ever sold.

In 2011, the global art auction market generated 21% more than in 2010 and there is not a single segment of the art market that did not progress in terms of turnover. Compared with 2010, Modern art added $1.2B, Post-war art added $372m, Contemporary art added $291m, Old Masters added $124 million and 19th century art posted an increase of $43 million. In addition, bulimic buying has not left any medium on the side-lines. 2011 saw the sale of more paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings and even prints than 2010. Indeed, driven by the rocketing prices of the Chinese Old and Modern masters, drawing has really come into its own, with its annual revenue up by $1.318 billion over the year. 


The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

The art world’s in action, Art Market,Savvy dealers, Power players, player stealers.No more need to put out feelers

In the realm of established galleries and seasoned collectors, most of the major players already know each other and specific collectors' tastes, specifications, preferences, and budgets are pretty much a matter of record among those they do business with. When new arrivals come in, dealers examine them, make sure they're quality works, and then contact the most likely buyers. Selling art with a phone call makes far more sense than investing time, effort, money, and uncertainty to hang it, market it, and wait for likely buyers to walk through the gallery doors. Plus seasoned collectors are often willing to pay premiums for the right to quietly acquire the best art first. Contemporary art galleries build up new artists who only appear at auction later. So roaming the galleries is the way to pick up emerging talent. Getting to meet both established and young artists is one of the joys of collecting contemporary art, and that is done through galleries.Before buying think of where you will place the piece so that it has maximum effect. Art is made to be seen and not to end up in the garage. You can mix styles, eras and regions, but the pieces must speak to each other.

Don't confuse the size of an artist's listing in a dictionary or encyclopedia with the monetary value of his art. Long listings do not automatically mean big bucks, short ones don't always mean pocket change. Fair market values are based far more on supply and demand among dealers, collectors, and the state of the art market than they are on the amount of information that you find in biographical references. Buy what you like, not fashionable status symbols. You have to live with the works, their dividends should be the pleasure of looking at them.Do your homework by visiting galleries and studying auctions. Fairs are the way to compare a wealth of galleries under one roof. Auctions are transparent, providing collectors with benchmark prices that serve as a guide to how much collectors should be paying. Auction houses provide an enormous amount of price information on their websites.

There's an excitement in buying at auction, where enthusiasts compete against one another. But beware of auction fever when heated bidding can push prices to crazy levels. Set a maximum above which you will not go, and stick to it. This limit should take into account costs on top of the price at which a piece is hammered down. They include buyer's premium (commission paid to auction house) and, in many countries, a royalty for the artist's resale right. Always check the condition of your desired piece. The great majority of art is in the possession of its rightful owners, but under certain circumstances, if you get caught with stolen art, you are financially responsible for it's return and not the party who sold it to you. Laws and statutes vary from state to state and country to country. Know what the situation is where you live and do business. Also be aware that IFAR, the International Foundation for Art Research, maintains a stolen art database; you can always check with them if you have suspicions or just to be on the safe side.



The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.