LONDON: Artist Rashid Rana’s work, Red Carpet Series, fetched the highest price of Rs 34.4 million (200,000 pounds) among all art works by Pakistanis at an auction of modern and contemporary South Asian art at Bonham’s on Wednesday.

The second highest winner among Pakistanis was an untitled work by the late Sadequain, which was sold for Rs 12 million (75,000 pounds), according to a press release..

Other notable works sold were Abdur Rehman Chughtai’s The Saqui for 48,000 pounds and a drawing by Gulgee for 5000 pounds.

Rashid Rana holds the record for the highest price ever paid ─ $623,000 ─ for a work of art from Pakistan.

Despite his acclaim on the international stage, he remains virtually unknown at home.

Rana emerged on the art scene during the early years of this century with an innovative piece that drew praise for exploring new ideas and bold imagery.

Rashid Rana’s works encompass dramatically different modes, such as paintings, stainless steel sculptures, video installation, photo sculptures and photo mosaics.

The Asia Art Society recognised his achievements recently by conferring on him a coveted award.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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