Every lot was sold making this a rare “white glove sale”
According to a statement released by Auction house Bonhams the art collection of the Abraaj Group, the private equity company undergoing liquidation, made a total of £4,650,500 over three sales held in Mayfair, London. Top lot of the Abraaj Collection Untitled by Manjit Bawa. Sold for £476,750.
Manjit Bawa (India, 1941-2008), Untitled. Oil on canvas.
The Abraaj Collection, amassed mainly in the early 2000s, was renowned for its comprehensive Arab, Iranian, South Asian and traditional Islamic and Indian art. The art works were recognised for their remarkable quality and many of them had been loaned over the years.
200 pieces from the Collection were featured at the Bonhams sale and spread across the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art and Art of Pakistan sale; and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale on 24 October, and the Islamic and Indian Art.
Bonhams Director of Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art, Nima Sagharchi said:
“It was a great honor to offer this wonderful collection for sale and we are delighted at the results. The Abraaj Collection was well known for its exceptional quality and I am not surprised that collectors took the opportunity to purchase works with such distinguished provenance.”
The collections Highlights from the Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art Sale were:
He is Merciful by Mohammad Ehsai (Iran, born 1939 which sold for £320,750. One of the most gifted calligraphers to emerge from Iran within the past century.
Poet and the Bird by Parviz Tanavoli (Iran) sold for £236,750. This monumental bronze sculpture makes extensive use of the common literary metaphors of traditional Persian poetry.
Additional highlights from the collection featured in the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art and Art of Pakistan Sale included:
Indian master Francis Souza’s painting Girl sold for £428,750.
Beej by Syed Haider Raza (India) was sold for £344,750.
Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art specialist Tahmina Ghaffar added, “The exceptional prices achieved show the confidence in the market for art from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.”
Sara Moneer Khan is a writer on ART AFRICA‘s editorial team.
