Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). From Village To The City, 1948 | 00755784

Introduction

Date of Birth: 02 Nov 1924
Date of Death: 10 Aug 2001
Age: 76
Place of Birth: Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
State Country of Birth: Maharashtra, India

Exhibitions

1948
1. Diamond Jubilee Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
1949
1. 59th Annual Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
1950
1. 60th Annual Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
1951
1. Progressive Artists' Group, Exhibition of Paintings, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
  06 Sep 1951 to 12 Sep 1951
2. Various Exhibitions in Artists Aid Centre, Mumbai, India
1952
1. 61st Annual Exhibition, Jehangir Art Gallery inaugural exhibition, Presented by Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
2. 3rd 'Progressive Artists' Group Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
1953
1. Progressive Artists Group, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, India
1954
1. Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
  19 Jun 1954 to 17 Oct 1954
1955
1. Indian Art Exhibition, Organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, India
1956
1. Eight Painters, Indian Cooperative Uion, New Delhi, India
  17 Nov 1956 to 25 Nov 1956
2. National Exhibition of Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, India)
  15 Jan 1956
1957
1. Five Thousand Years of Indian Art, Essen, Germany
2. 1st Young Asian Artist Exhibition, Tokyo Department Store, Japan
1959
1. Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, India
2. Graham Gallery, New York, USA
3. Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery 59, Mumbai, India
  26 Jan 1959
4. Trends in Contemporary Paintings from India, American Federation of Arts, New York, USA (March 1959 - March 1960)
5. Indian Art Today, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
  15 May 1959 to 16 Jul 1959
6. Trends in Contemporary Paintings from India, Graham Gallery, New York, U.S.A.
  10 Feb 1959 to 26 Feb 1959

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Chronicled Highlights 53

1924Born

V.S. Gaitonde

V.S. Gaitonde was born in 1924 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1961 | Painting | FineArts | 00545806

In 2021, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1961), offered in the Spring Live Auction: Modern Indian Art by Saffronart, which concluded on 11 March 2021 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹39,98,00,000 ($5,552,778). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1962 | Painting | FineArts | 00598508

When the twentieth century is viewed through the psycho geography of a series of shifting and overlapping tectonic plates - through the modernism, decades of decolonisation and nationalism, postmodernism, decades of decolonialism, and post colonialism, and the intercultural dialogues between Asian, European and American Artists, intellectuals and cultural agents- what emerges is the story of several simultaneously evolving histories, or what I have termed for the purposes of this essay a system of “polymorphic modernisms.” As critic Geeta Kapur states, “it may be worth mentioning that modernism as it develops in postcolonial cultures has the oldest retroactive trajectories, and that these make up a parallel aesthetics. It is crucial that we do not see the modern as a form of determinism to be followed, in a manner of the stations of a cross, to a logical end. We should see our trajectories crisscrossing the western mainstream and, in their very disalignment from it, making up the ground that restructures the international.” With Fredric Jameson in mind Kapur continues, “the modern itself had a politicality far greater than we are taught to recognize. He (Jameson) notes the persistent use of vocabulary of political revolution in the aesthetic avant-gardes which complemented, perhaps even compensated for, the deep subjectivity to which modernist works were committed” Gaitonde’s consistently nonrepresentational works from 1959 onwards resist any intrinsic meaning or description and must be dealt with on their own uncompromised terms. One should experience them ontologically rather than in epistemic terms, given their resistance to narrativity. This, however, does not make them unmoored, universalising agentsrather they exist in time, and are contingent on the socialising factors that make them modern. One may simply point to the oeuvre of Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935), whose utopian abstraction and belief in the “zero of painting” or “objectlessness emerged within a milieu of revolutionary socialism.

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1962), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings from The Wilberding Collection by Sotheby's, which concluded on 20 September 2005 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹1,05,38,400 ($240,000). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1969 | Painting | FineArts | 00416254

In 2022, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1969), offered in the Glenbarra: A Lasting Legacy Session 1 by Pundole, which concluded on 24 February 2022 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹42,00,00,000 ($5,578,859.84). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1970 | Painting | FineArts | 00372832

In 2001, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1970), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including 20th Century Indian Paintings by Christie's, which concluded on 17 October 2001 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹25,37,471 ($52,875). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1972 | Painting | FineArts | 00597821

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1972), offered in the Indian Contemporary Art: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture by Osian's, which concluded on 09 February 2005 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹92,00,000 ($210,816). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1973 | Painting | 00879876

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1973), offered in the Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 01 March 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹4,88,75,000 ($1,102,029). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1974 | Painting | 00867356

In 2020, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1974), offered in the Looking West: Works from the Collection of the Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan (Session I) by Pundole, which concluded on 03 September 2020 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹32,00,00,000 ($4,362,288.02). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil and Mixed media on canvas, 1975 | Painting | 00880218

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1975), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Indian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 30 March 2006 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹6,56,65,920 ($1,472,000). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1976 | Painting | 00878025

In 2000, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1976), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including 20th Century Indian Paintings by Christie's, which concluded on 20 September 2000 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹14,12,021 ($30,550). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1977 | Painting | FineArts | 00375425

In 2002, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1977), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including 20th Century Indian Paintings by Christie's, which concluded on 19 September 2002 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹31,82,405 ($65,725). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1979 | Painting | FineArts | 00645688

In 2013, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1979), offered in the South Asian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 19 December 2013 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹23,70,25,000 ($3,799,695). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1980 | Painting | FineArts | 00353386

Whether it is a mauve canvas with a streak of turquoise blue. or a blue moon, it is always pure painting ‒‒ painting which has detached itself from the world of objects to explore its own endlessly exciting possibilities.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1985 | Painting | FineArts | 00375623

In 1997, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1985), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings by Sotheby's, which concluded on 10 October 1997 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹12,50,625 ($34,500). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

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Christie's (Auction House). Contemporary Indian Art (Charity Auction). 20 December 1987, Bombay | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861836

On 20 December 1987, V.S. Gaitonde made their debut in the Indian public auction market when Painting was presented as Lot 10 in Contemporary Indian Art (Charity Auction), conducted by Christie's in Mumbai, India. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1994 | Painting | FineArts | 00371895

In 1995, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1994), offered in the Indian Contemporary Paintings: Islamic Works of Art and Indian, Himalaya and South-East Asian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 16 October 1995 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹6,25,600 ($18,244). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Gaitonde, V.S. (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1995 | Painting | FineArts | 00371898

In 1995, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1995), offered in the Indian Contemporary Paintings: Islamic Works of Art and Indian, Himalaya and South-East Asian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 16 October 1995 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹5,63,040 ($16,420). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Bowrings (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings. 21 March 2002, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861885

In 2002, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Bowrings: Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings (March 2002, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Contemporary Art - Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture. 09 February 2005, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861915

In 2005, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Osians: Indian Contemporary Art (February 2005, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Sotheby's (Auction House). Indian and Southeast Asian Art - Including Modern Indian Paintings from The Wilberding Collection. 20 September 2005, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861924

In 2005, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Sotheby's: Indian and Southeast Asian Art (September 2005, Dubai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI - With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art. 01 March 2006, New Delhi | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861930

In 2006, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Osians: Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI (March 2006, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Christie's (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. 30 March 2006, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861933

In 2006, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Christie's: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art (March 2006, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Christie's (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Art - Including Art from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 21 May 2007, London | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861960

In 2007, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Christie's: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art (May 2007, New Delhi), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Sotheby's (Auction House). Indian Sale - Including Miniatures and Modern and Contemporary Paintings. 24 May 2007, London | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861961

In 2007, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Sotheby's: Indian Sale (May 2007, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Art and Photography - Winter Online Auction. 11 December 2008, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862023

In 2008, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art and Photography (December 2008, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Art - Summer Online Auction. 11 June 2009, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862039

In 2009, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art (June 2009, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). Paintings from the Collection of the National Centre for the Performing Arts - Inclusive of the Bequest from the Estate of the Late Jamshed Bhabha. 20 April 2011, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862084

In 2011, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: Paintings from the Collection of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (April 2011, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. 20 June 2012, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862122

In 2012, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art (June 2012, New Delhi), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Christie's (Auction House). South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art. 11 June 2013, London | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862149

In 2013, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Christie's: South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art (June 2013, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Bonhams (Auction House). Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art. 17 September 2014, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862187

In 2014, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Bonhams: Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art (September 2014, Hong Kong), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Christie's (Auction House). The India Sale. 15 December 2015, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862219

In 2015, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Christie's: The India Sale (December 2015, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). Indian Art - Classical to Modern. 09 April 2015, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862200

In 2015, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: Indian Art (April 2015, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Christie's (Auction House). South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art. 14 September 2016, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862235

In 2016, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Christie's: South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art (September 2016, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Sotheby's (Auction House). Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art. 15 March 2016, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862222

In 2016, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Sotheby's: Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art (March 2016, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Asta Guru (Auction House). Modern Indian Art (No Reserve Auction). 26 October 2016, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862241

In 2016, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Asta Guru: Modern Indian Art (No Reserve Auction) (October 2016, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Modern Fine Arts. 22 June 2017, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862258

In 2017, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Osians: Indian Modern Fine Arts (June 2017, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). The Fine Art Sale. 12 April 2017, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862260

In 2017, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: The Fine Art Sale (April 2017, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Evening Sale. 21 September 2017, New Delhi | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862265

In 2017, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Evening Sale (September 2017, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Evening Sale. 20 September 2018, New Delhi | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862287

In 2018, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Evening Sale (September 2018, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Summer Online Auction. 13 June 2019, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862320

In 2019, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Summer Online Auction (June 2019, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Evening Sale. 12 September 2019, New Delhi | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862328

In 2019, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Evening Sale (September 2019, New Delhi), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). The Works on Paper Sale - Including Books, Manuscrits and the Nandalal Bose Archives. 11 April 2019, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862311

In 2019, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: The Works on Paper Sale (April 2019, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Modern Fine Arts. 27 February 2019, New Delhi | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862303

In 2019, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Osians: Indian Modern Fine Arts (February 2019, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). The Fine Art Sale. 29 August 2019, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862325

In 2019, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: The Fine Art Sale (August 2019, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Alive - Evening Sale of Modern and Contemporary Art. 17 September 2020, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862360

In 2020, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Alive (September 2020, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Summer Online Auction. 14 July 2021, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862389

In 2021, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Summer Online Auction (July 2021, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Spring Online Auction - Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. 12 March 2021, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862375

In 2021, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Spring Online Auction (March 2021, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Spring Live Auction - Modern Indian Art. 11 March 2021, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862374

In 2021, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Spring Live Auction (March 2021, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Pundole (Auction House). The Fine Art Sale - Including Classical Paintings. 21 January 2021, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862373

In 2021, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Pundole: The Fine Art Sale (January 2021, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

deRivaz & Ives (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). The Progressives & Other Modern Masters. 09 March 2022, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862417

In 2022, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of deRivaz & Ives: The Progressives & Other Modern Masters (March 2022, New Delhi), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). The Art of India Online Auction. 19 May 2022, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862428

In 2022, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: The Art of India Online Auction (May 2022, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

deRivaz & Ives (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Modern Art. 15 December 2022, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862456

In 2022, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of deRivaz & Ives: Indian Modern Art (December 2022, New Delhi), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Spring Live Auction - South Asian Modern Art. 16 March 2023, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862468

In 2023, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Spring Live Auction (March 2023, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart (Auction House). Spring Online Auction - South Asian Modern Art. 17 March 2023, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862469

In 2023, an artwork by V.S. Gaitonde was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Spring Online Auction (March 2023, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Economics of Art

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This section showcases auction lots that achieved record-high sale prices, tracked by the date each record was set based on the artist's historical auction data.