The Contemporary art sale in Doha featured a range of Iranian, Arabic and European art to sell $4,290,000 with 56% of the 50 lots finding buyers though prices subdued. The top lot was an Anish Kapoor disk that sold for $974,500 with premium. The low estimate was for $900,000 so the hammer price would have just missed the hurdle. Bernar Venet had the next biggest number at $722,500. Sotheby’s is big vendor of Venet’s rust-colored arcs.
With an estimate of between $400-600,000, the work did well. And it’s not hard to see why when you look at his looping works next to calligraphy like Mohammad Ehsai’s Afarinesh which sold for $362,500 or just within the low pre-sale estimate. Farhad Moshiri did just about as well by selling his Diamond Head for $302,500.
Works by Banksy, Warhol, Arman and Olafur Eliasson also dotted the sale. Though two Hans Hoffman works sold but at disappointing prices.
