SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2017 Basquiat headlines New York art auction season

ean-Michel Basquiat occupies star billing on the auction The triptych was once owned by author Roald Dahl and has block in New York this season, catapulting the artist into been shown at the Tate Britain and the Metropolitan Museum Jthe rostrum of 20th century greats nearly three decades of Art in New York. Christie's is also chasing big bucks for after his death. Riding high on last year's $57 million auction another artist who is even less of a household name but record set when a Japanese billionaire snapped up a self- another increasing commercial force: $35-55 million for Cy portrait, at least 14 works by the US wonderkid of Haitian Twombly's largely abstract "Leda and the Swan." "Most people and Puerto Rican descent are on sale at Christie's and even today will say, 'Oh my child can paint this.' Your child Sotheby's next week. cannot paint this,'" says Christie's specialist Koji Inoue. "He was a street artist so it took a bit of time for him to be Sotheby's set the Twombly auction record in 2015 at $70.5 KPAC Lalitha addresses meet the press assimilated," explains Loic Gouzer, chairman of post-war and million. The artist was the subject of a retrospective in Paris contemporary art at Christie's. "Now every museum in the last year. "We feel like he's finally getting his due," Inoue said. world is begging to get Basquiat." Christie's and Sotheby's-the esteemed houses founded in 18th century London-are chas- Beyond craziness KSNA plans to revive ing combined sales of at least $1.1 billion when they auction Highlights of the impressionist and modern sales are a hundreds of contemporary, modern and impressionist works Picasso portrait of his mistress Dora Maar, valued at $35-55 of art from May 15-19 in New York. The top estimate for the million at Christie's, and Egon Schiele's "Danae" at Sotheby's week is a 1982 Basquiat, "Untitled"-a skull-like head on a giant for $30-40 million, painted when he was 19 years old. Much of canvas in oil-stick, acrylic and spray paint, for which Sotheby's the art being offered this season is fresh to market-at Christie's Gulf chapters: Lalitha hopes to smash a new record at more than $60 million. It has more than 80 percent of the works in both categories have been held by its current owners ever since being bought in never been offered at auction or have been off the market for By Sajeev K Peter 1984 at Christie's for $19,000. 20 years or more. Experts say they are focusing on quality The Brooklyn-born artist died of an overdose aged 27. rather than quantity, not expecting to reach the giddy heights erala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi (KSNA) is consid- Artprice says the value of Basquiat works rose 506 percent of 2015, when records tumbled and Picasso's "The Women of ering the revival of its Gulf chapters that became from January 2000 to October 2016. "It's the golden kid, it's Algiers (Version 0)" became the most expensive art ever sold Kdefunct following a change of guard in Kerala last the one that died young, lived strong and has been creating at auction for $179.4 million. year, said Akademi chairperson and veteran south Indian a body of work that looks like nothing before and looks like "I think that this market is very smart right now, I don't actress KPAC Lalitha. Addressing a 'Meet the Press' event nothing after," says Gregoire Billault, Sotheby's head of con- think it's the same craziness it used to be in 2015," said organized by the Changanachery Association of Kuwait temporary art. An African American in a white art world, Billault. He disagrees that interest is cooling in China, where at Metro Medical Car in Farwaniya on Thursday, she said much of his work focused on ordeals endured by blacks-a new wealth has driven much of the exponential growth. a sentiment expressed by many theatre lovers prompted subject of renewed resonance in the wake of nationwide US Neither have political earthquakes-Donald Trump's election the Akademi to think about reopening its chapters in the protests since 2014 about the shootings of unarmed black in the United States and Brexit in Britain-fanned sluggish Gulf, including the one in Kuwait. men by police. sales. "Last November everyone wondered, given our elec- "Former Akademi Chairman Soorya Krishnamoorthy tion," says Jessica Fertig, senior Christie's specialist in has done a lot to support Malayalam theatre and drama $50 million Bacon Impressionist and Modern Art. "We had an incredibly strong artists. Definitely, the Akademi will explore the possibili- Fittingly, Christie's top Basquiat offering is "La Hara"-a 1981 sale, so we have no reason to feel that this season is going to ties of restarting the Akademi's chapters in this region," acrylic and oil-stick of an angry-looking New York police offi- be any different," she said. — AFP Lalitha said in response to a question. cer estimated at $22-28 million. "Context is the best helper to Lalitha said there is an awakening in Malayalam the- explain art and I think it's great to have it right now," says atre today with more amateur and professional troupes Gouzer. Otherwise Christie's top lot is Francis Bacon's "Three producing dramas and more people showing keenness Studies of George Dyer" valued at $50 million, the British to watch plays. "Akademi is also focusing more on sup- artist's first portrait of his long-time muse and lover, a hand- porting theatre and drama activists and conducting the- some petty thief from London's East End. ater festivals on a regular basis," she said, referring to the recently-concluded amateur drama festival in Thiruvananthapuram. This followed the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK), which was held in Thrissur in February by the Akademi. "There is a perceptible change in the way how people look at actors and acting today. Theater and film actor Surabhi Lakshmy winning the national award for her stunning performance in the film 'Minnaminungu' is a good example," the veteran actress, who has bagged several awards and accolades including state and national awards over the last five decades, remarked. Surabhi also won the state amateur theatre award insti- tuted by the Akademi for best actress for her role in the play 'Bombay Tailors', she added. Lalitha, who has acted in more than 500 south Indian films playing a variety of roles, does not believe that there is a new genre in cinema called 'new gen movie'. "Celebrated filmmakers Bharatan, Padmarajan and John Abraham made new generation movies 25 years ago. If there is a change in the craft of acting or direction, it has come in tune with the other changes in our society including technological advancements," she pointed out. Lalitha also applauded the humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Changanachery Association of Kuwait to support financially backward patients in Kerala. Changanassery municipal chairman Sebastian Mathew Manamel, Association President Sunil P Antony, General Secretary Ranjith Poovely, Vinod Panicker and Manju Nedikalaparambil were also present during the 'meet the A Sotheby's official speaks about an untitled paint- A man looks at Jean-Michel Basquiat 'La Hara' during Christie's press press' event. ing by Jean-Michel Basquiat during a media preview preview of the 20th Century Week, in New York. Christie's and at Sotheby's in New York. — AFP photos Sotheby's are currently holding their Spring Auction previews.