ISTANBUL.- At Antik A.Ş. in Istanbul, Erol Akyavaş’s monumental masterpiece, “The Siege”, brought a remarkable 1.274,000 EURO. It exceeded pre-sale estimation of 700,000 – 1,000,000 EURO.

There was a considerable interest before the sale and the saleroom was filled more than the capacity. Erol Akyavas’s “The Siege” was top-selling lot in the Modern & Contemporary sale of Antik A.S. auction house. The painting signed and dated 1982 and was exhibited in Überse Museum, Bremen, Germany, 1982, Instutute of Contemporary Art, London, 1988, Turkish Artists Exhibition, Denmark/Charlottenburg, 1995, measures 266 x 385 cm.

Olgaç Artam has directed 260th auction of Antik A.Ş. The sale room was crowded with collectors. The works of Erol Akyavaş, Burhan Doğançay, Ömer Uluç, Adnan Çoker, Mehmet Güleryüz, Haluk Akakçe, Oya Zaim Katoglu, Alaettin Aksoy, Güngör Taner, Bedri Baykam, Gülay Semercioğlu also exceeded their pre-sale estimates.

Commenting on the strong Contemporary Turkish Art Sale results, Olgaç Artam, auctioneer of the sale, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the results achieved for today's sale of Contemporary Turkish Art. These results are very important for the development of the new Turkish art era. Participation of new collectors and young buyers sends a very positive message to the art market. We will be talking about a stronger Turkish Art Market in the near future.”

14 of the Turkish Artists’ works sold for auction record prices including Mehmet Güleryüz, Oya Zaim Katoğlu, Alaettin Aksoy, Abdurrahman Öztoprak, Güngör Taner, Haluk Özden, Gülay Semercioğlu and a video art of Haluk Akakce..

Top Ten Lots of the 26th Auction

Lot 125
Erol Akyavaş “The Siege” (2,650,000 TL) (1.274.740 EURO)
(World auction record for the artist)
(Second highest price for a Turkish Contemporary work)

Lot 139
Ömer Uluç “Nude” (441,000 TL) ( 212.457 EURO)

Lot 100
Abdurrahman Öztoprak “Triptik” (378,000 TL) (182.106 EURO)
(World auction record for the artist)

Lot 107
Mübin Orhon “Red” (303,000 TL) (145.685 EURO)

Lot 67
Burhan Doğançay “Phone Boxes” 265,000 TL (127.474 EURO)

Lot 130
Oya Zaim Katoğlu “Turkish House” (265,000 TL) (127.474 EURO)
(World auction record for the artist)

Lot 120
Burhan Doğançay “Post No Bills” (252,000 TL) (121.404 EURO)

Lot 113
Mehmet Güleyüz “Ayağımı Yerden Kesti” (203,000 TL) (97.730 EURO)
(World auction record for the artist)

Lot 117
Alaettin Aksoy “Sonsuz Bahar” (176,000 TL) (84.983 EURO)
(World auction record for the artist)

Lot 71
Burhan Doğançay “Demokrasi” (157,000 TL) (75.877 EURO)

Lot 131
Fahrel Nisa Zeid “Lady ” (157,000 TL) (75.877 EURO)