LONDON.- After the success of Sotheby’s inaugural auction of Turkish Contemporary Art in March 2009, which realised a total of £1.3 million and attracted bidders and buyers from across the globe, Sotheby’s London announced that it will stage its second sale in this collecting category, on Thursday, 15 April, 2010. The forthcoming sale will present new and existing collectors with an opportunity to acquire important pieces from this exciting and expanding area of the art market by both modern masters and cutting-edge contemporary artists of Turkish origin.

Discussing the forthcoming auction and the Contemporary Turkish Art market, Ali Can Ertug, Senior Vice President, said: “Over the course of the past year the Turkish art market has continued to expand and develop, and following the strong results of our inaugural Turkish Contemporary Art Sale in March 2009, we are delighted to present our second dedicated sale in this category in April. With last year’s Biennial, which was enthusiastically attended by artists, curators, critics and collectors from across the globe, Istanbul’s vibrant art scene continues to flourish and we very much look forward to returning to this culturally energetic city in March when we will showcase a select group of works from the upcoming sale.”

Dalya Islam, Deputy Director, commented: “With our second sale, we are pleased to have been able to expand the number of artists represented and offer an even wider range of material by both the modern masters and the up-and-coming generation. Featuring works by artists that performed well in the last sale, the auction will also include new artwork that is set to excite the collecting community. As this market is still relatively young, it continues to present alluring opportunities for collectors to acquire high quality works of contemporary art at an affordable price.”

Sale Highlights:
One of the most important highlights in the sale is Untitled by Fahrelnissa Zeid, an image of which is not featured. The doyenne of Turkish art, darling of the Paris social circuit, London’s favourite hostess and one of the first female artists to exhibit at the ICA in the 1950s; Fahrelnissa is not only one of the most important Turkish artists, but is arguably one of the most important female artists of the 20th Century. Her work Untitled will be offered at £300,000-500,000.

Illustrated on the front page is Untitled by Mubin Orhon, one of the leading abstract expressionist artists on the Turkish market, which carries an estimate of £60,000-80,000.

Hale Tenger’s We Are So Lightly Here, is to be offered with an estimate of £25,000-35,000. Sotheby’s inaugural Turkish Contemporary Art Sale saw bidders from around the world compete to acquire two works by Tenger, both of which sold to international buyers.

Abidin Elderoglu lived and studied in Belgium and his Un Altro Siren, which comes from a Belgian collector, carries an estimate of £12,000-18,000.

Canan Tolon lives and works in San Francisco and her painting, Glitch VI, comes to sale from a British consignor/collection and is estimated at £12,000-18,000.

Two works by Haluk Akakce also feature in the sale, Another Station, estimated to sell for £8,000-12,000, and Breakfast, £8,000-12,000.