SINGAPORE.- The sophomore edition of Art Stage Singapore 2012, Asia’s global art gathering, closed on Sunday, 15 January 2012. Despite a challenging economic situation, there were many important sales made at the fair. Some of them included:

• Michael Schultz Gallery sold an “Abstraktes Bild (Abstract Painting)” by Gerhard Richter for US$1.52 million (S$2 million)

• Haunch of Venison sold a number of Gonkar Gyatso works including the “Dissected Buddha”, 2011, for US$200,000 (S$260,000), as well as an undisclosed piece for US$400,000 (S$518,000)

• Gajah Gallery sold two paintings by I Nyoman Masriadi for US$350,000 (S$453,000)

• Linda Gallery sold a work by Indonesian artist Srihardi Soedarsono for US$232,000 (S$300,000)

• De Sarthe Gallery sold a few sculptures by Bernar Venet for US$100,000 (S$130,000)

• Galerie Perrotin sold MR’s “Desktop of My Mind”, 2011, for US$240,000 (S$311,000)

• Galerie EIGEN + ART sold the “Nervositat” piece by Martin Eder for US$86,000 (S$112,000)

• ESLITE Gallery sold a Wong Hoy Cheong work for US$88,500 (S$115,000)

• Lehmann Maupin sold a neon lighted sculpture by Tracey Emin for US$70,000 (S$109,000) among others

• Volte Gallery sold out most of its Ranbir Kaleka and Sheba Chhachhi pieces

• OV Gallery sold three pieces from their Project Stage booth by Wang Taocheng

• Xin Dong Cheng Space for Contemporary Art sold three pieces by Shi Jianmin (China)

Art Stage Singapore 2012 also once again proved to be the meeting point and get-together of the who’s w`ho of the Asian art world, including the collectors, the curators and, most especially, the artists. And with the fair’s very own Collectors Club, Art Stage Singapore has established itself as the matchmaking platform and get-together point of the continent – building the necessary bridges between all the Asian and international art scenes. In fact, some of the leading Asian galleries announced that they will be opening new spaces and branches in Singapore in the near future.

The fair received a total of 31,000 visitors that came to view the 133 galleries on show. A total of 101 of these galleries were in the general booth area, while 43 of these galleries were at the Project Stage platform - the space dedicated to emerging artists. Representing 19 countries, over 600 artists’ works were on display in the three halls of Basement 2 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Exhibition Centre.