Christie's auction house has best year in 245-year history - Telegraph

Total sales rose more than 50pc to hit £3.3bn last year, as the company retained its position as the world’s largest auction house.

Christie's was involved in two-thirds of global artwork sales worth more than $50m (£32m).

Works sold over the course of 2010 included Pablo Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, which sold for an auction world record £70.3m, as well as the £35.2m sale of Alberto Giacometti’s Grande tête mince, both of which were sold on the same day last May.

Impressionist and modern art sales was Christie’s most successful market, with sales totalling £767m, followed by post-war and contemporary art sales of £603m.

Europe and the US were responsible for the lion’s share of sales, but growth was fastest in the company’s Asian business, with sales more than doubling to £499m.

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Steven Murphy, chief executive of Christie’s International, said: “2010 was a record-breaking year and early signs of 2011 indicate that the art market remains buoyant at all levels.”

Sotheby’s, Christie’s biggest rival, also had a good year in 2010 with sales, excluding private deals, of about £2.7bn.

“This has been one of the greatest years ever for Christie’s and the art market. The results of 2010 are the fruition of a decade of endeavour led by a strong and dedicated team,” Mr Murphy said.

The auctioneer’s next big sales will be an Impressionist and Modern Art Evening and The Art of the Surreal in London next month, which together are expected to raise as much as £109m.

Internet sales are expected to become a bigger part of the company’s business, and online bidding via Christie’s LIVE made up 28pc of total sales last year compared with 23pc in 2009.

Emerging markets such as China are becoming increasingly important to Christie’s and the development of the Asian business will be a major focus for the next five years.

Is part of Opa monument of 7th century? - The Times of India

PANAJI: Is part of the 12th century Saptakoteshwar temple at Opa originally a rock-cut cave dating back to the 7th century?

Some archaeologists say it is one of the oldest temples in the state and its garb griha (sanctum sanctorum) is the original temple.

"This original part of the temple is scooped out from the laterite," says state archives and archaeology department assistant superintending archaeologist Manguesh Deshpande.

The superstructure of the rest of the temple, including the sabha mandap (outer hall) and antaral (vestibule/ connecting passage) were laid later over and around the cave temple, he explained.

Archaeologists find some evidence of the earlier period. "The Shivlinga in the garb griha is mounted on a pedestal and its style is typical of the western Chalukya period," archaeologist Varad Sabnis said. Agrees Deshpande, "The style of the Shivling is of an earlier phase and differs from other Shivlings."

Shree Saptakoteshwar was the family deity of the Kadamba dynasty. "In fact, King Jaykeshi included Saptakoteshwar in his title," Sabnis said. The famous 12th century Mahadeva temple at Tambdi Surla is considered the oldest existing living monument of the Kadambas.

Conceding that a proper study may be needed regarding the temple's antiquity, Deshpande said that the garb griha and the rest of the superstructure blend so well that few notice the distinction. "The different hue and texture of stones in both structures is distinctly visible near the arch of the garb griha," he said.

Another cave, Ishwar Bhat in Amona also has a similar Shivling belonging to the 7th century. The motifs on the granite door jambs at Opa are also characteristic of the art of the Chalukya period.

"Few have noticed that there are two structures within-one carved into the laterite and the other a subsequent addition," said Deshpande.

Read more: Is part of Opa monument of 7th century? - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Is-part-of-Opa-monument-of-7th-century/articleshow/7387507.cms#ixzz1CdAcN0Nm

Genesis of portraits in Indian art traced - The Times of India

PATNA: Delivering a lecture on `Historical Portraits in Indian Art at the Khuda Bakhsh Library on Saturday, art historian and Tagore National Fellow S P Verma traced the genesis of portraits in Indian art to the 4th century AD and highlighted the contribution made by the Mughal emperors in this regard.

He stated that emperors Akbar and Jahangir got their portraits and also those of their nobles and officials prepared on a largescale. The Mughal painters, by striking a synthesis between Indian, Iranian and European traditions, raised the level of portraiture to an extraordinary finesse.

Many of these portraits, incidentally, are preserved at the Library. Verma said that they generally belong to the 18th century and represent a phase of stagnation. Nevertheless, they constitute an important source: Material for reconstructing the history of the Mughal empire. A slide-show of important portraits further enriched the lecture.

Former VC of Maulana Mazharul Haq Arabic & Persian University Qamar Ahsan presided while Library director Imtiaz Ahmad welcomed the guests and introduced Verma who has seven books and scores of articles published in the country and abroad. He also has been assigned the responsibility of preparing a descriptive catalogue of the illustrated manuscripts at the Library.

Read more: Genesis of portraits in Indian art traced - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Genesis-of-portraits-in-Indian-art-traced/articleshow/7387247.cms#ixzz1Cd6SGv3r