Bonhams 1793 Limited, the world's largest auctioneers of contemporary and Asian art has announced to hold second auction of Pakistani art, the preview of which will be held in Dubai during the last week of March this year. The auction itself will be held in London on July 7, and will feature the works of over a dozen of Pakistan's most renowned artists and their work.
Among the artists whose works will be on display are Jamil Naqsh, Gulgee, Chughtai and Sadeqain. Bonhams 1793 Limited is one of the world's oldest auction houses, as well as the third largest and fastest growing auction houses in the world, with a specialist focus on fine arts, ceramics and contemporary art.
Bonhams is also the world's leading auction house in Pakistani art and holds world records for sales of most modern Pakistani artists, as well as the largest number of work by Pakistani artists compared to any other auction house. The first such sale of contemporary art, held in Dubai on March 3, 2008, was of Modern & Contemporary Arab, Iranian, Indian & Pakistani Art and achieved total sales of over US 13 million dollars- almost three times the expected amount. Gulgee's painting 'Polo Player' sold for over 336,000 dollars, more than four times the reserve price of 50,000 dollars.
The preview exhibition and the auction are in keeping with Bonhams' principle of promoting and highlighting the best of contemporary and modern art from around the world and particularly Asian art. The latest auction is expected to be equally successful with bidders from around the world participating.
Speaking about the auction, Mehreen Rizvi, Bonhams' Asian Art specialist, said Pakistani art had a rich history. "There is a great deal of talent that remains untapped within this part of the world and Bonhams is proud and excited to be taking this heritage to the world. Today we regularly see Bonhams sales running simultaneously on four continents - America, Europe, Asia and Australia," she said. "I am looking forward to the expansion of our sales programme in all four continents. We're all proud of just how far Bonhams has come."-PR