This is Delhi-born Sonal Singh’s seventh year at Christie’s and the highlight has been well, 2013. On December 19 of that year, the renowned auction house’s India branch held its first-ever sale (in Mumbai) and the response was so good that they had to “add an extra room” to accommodate both the interesting, and the interested. And Sonal Singh was at the helm of it all.
The feedback from the ground was good too. Everyone went, “What economic slump?” as hundreds started streaming in for the sale. India, though a little tired and anaemic, was still holding on to its love for luxury and more importantly, India was still buying from the man with the hammer.That meant there would have to be another sale, soon, and that Singh and her team had to get busy again, scouring for antiques and art.
“But I have always been around art, even as a child growing up in Delhi. My parents have been incredibly supportive and have encouraged me to follow my interests throughout,” says Singh.
After joining the auction house in 2007, the rise has been described by her as “pretty organic.”
“In a way, I guess I feel that Christie’s India and I have grown together. The auction in December was our first sale in the country and I was fortunate enough to be the specialist based in Mumbai at the time, so yes, lots of hard work and I guess I was in the right place at the right time. And the office here has now grown three-fold in the past year and, as I say this from the preview of our next auction in New York, it reminds me how much travelling I do for my job which is one of the best things but it is always nice to get home.”
Speaking of the next auction, the dates are already out. “Yes. Our next auction in India will be held in December 2014 in Mumbai. In between, we have at least four more auctions, two in New York, one this March and the next in September and then London this June. The same team works on every sale so there is always an auction being planned,” reveals Singh.
And even as she jet-sets around the world, the expert still has a few Indian favourites.
“Chennai. Apart from Delhi and Bombay, I’ve found Chennai to be a really exciting city where collectors and art lovers are truly well informed. They are also extremely passionate about what they are collecting and looking at. Meanwhile, Kochi for its biennale is also high on my list.”
Which brings us back to the art of auctioneering. How does one person stand behind a lectern, urge people to outbid others and then bring home a business of over a Rs 100 crore (figures from Christie’s first sale in India)?
“It is a very unique combination of skills. Holding an auction takes huge skill and many, many years of training which I haven’t done as yet. Not many specialists in my business are also auctioneers. But you need to have great presence and a love to perform, a great head for numbers and to be a really great auctioneer, you need to have that secret ingredient and no one really knows what that is. But those who have it, have the ability to hold a room in the palm of their hand,” says Singh.
For now then, Singh is completely focused on Christie’s upcoming sale. In an earlier interview, Singh had revealed that Christie’s is here for “the long run” and that the second sale “will be much bigger.”
“We have plans in the works for our December 2014 sale of Indian art. We are here for the long run, so once we get a detailed sense of the market and what collectors research, we might expand our plans,” she said. That also means more airports, and more people.
