Big in China

The two most coveted Indian artists in China,as Christie’s International Director of Asian Art Hugo Weihe had predicted,are T V Santhosh and Jitish Kallat. The Hong Kong auction,held on Sunday,reported a 98 per cent sales,indicating that the Chinese economy is still buoyant and,moreover,willing to buy Indian art. Santhosh’s Hundred Square Feet of Curses (above) sold for HK $740,000 (over Rs 45 lakh ) and Kallat’s Universal Recipient 1 went for HK$ 860,000 (over Rs 52 lakh).

“What is significant is that both these works were sold to non-Indian buyers. Chinese collectors can relate to Santhosh’s media-inspired X-ray works. Jitish is an internationally acclaimed artist and it is rare for any of his works to go unsold at an auction,” says Weihe. These works featured alongside other top-tier Asian counterparts indicate that the international allure of contemporary Indian art has not faded.