Galaxy, scupltor Ardeshir Davierwalla’s 1966 work in welded steel, brass and glass (pictured) fetched over three times its estimated amount at Christie’s New York auction of South Asian modern and contemporary art on September 13, 2017. Estimated to sell for between USD 40,000 and 60,000 (Rs 25.63 and 38.45 lakhs), (see "Christie’s Parsis,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, September 7, 2017), the piece fetched USD 187,500 (Rs 1.20 crores), states the auctioneer’s website. Nishad Avari, head of sales and associate vice president at Christie’s notes in a communication to Parsiana that the price fetched by the work "was a result of several factors, the rarity of the work being the most important…Works by this artist are not widely available... (and) do not appear at auction very often.” Additionally, "the subject (a tribute to pioneers like Dr Homi Bhabha who the artist worked closely with) was very important to him.”
Artist Jehangir Sabavala’s 2001 oil on canvas, Stag-Antlered Tree II that was expected to sell for between USD 200,000 and 300,000 (Rs 1.28 and Rs 1.92 crores) fetched USD 275,000 (Rs 1.76 crores).
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