Delhi art lovers rally at Christie's charity auction

The recession doesn't seem to have dampened the spirit of the capital's art lovers who purchased paintings and artefacts worth millions of rupees at an auction conducted by Christie's of London.

The recession doesn't seem to have dampened the spirit of the capital's art lovers who purchased paintings and artefacts worth millions of rupees at an auction conducted by Christie's of London.

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While a Jayasri Burman painting endorsed by the Ambani family of Kokilaben, Deepti and Isheta went for Rs 2.2 million at the auction on Friday night, celebrated painter Akbar Padamsee's work, endorsed by Bollywood couple Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, fetched Rs.1.9 million.

A Ram Kumar work was sold for Rs 1.4 million and a a Laxman Shreshtha work endorsed by industrialist Gautam Hari Singhania fetched Rs 2 million.

A Yusuf Arakkal painting sponsored by another industrialist, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, earned Rs 1.6 million.

Journalist turned painter Kota Neelima's work along with husband Anirudh Khaitan fetched Rs. 100,000.

International exhibitors included Sacha Jafri from Lebanon and Jamil Naqsh from Pakistan.

The auction was organised by Khushii, a NGO working for charity causes including a hospital at Nimrana in Rajasthan and tsunami-hit people in southern India.