November 3, 2023
BANGKOK – It went under the hammer at River City Bangkok’s MUSEUM Mania auction, organised by the Art Auction Center and RSF Art Clinic (Restaurateurs Sans Frontières Art Clinic).
Up for sale at the October 22 event were more than 130 artworks created by renowned classical and contemporary artists such as Galileo Chini, Carlo Righi, Silpa Bhirasri ( Corrado Feroci), Jitr (Prakit) Buabusaya, Basuki Abdullah, Tang Chang, Pratuang Emjaroen and Khian Yimsiri.
The works showcased the development of Thai art from the time of Rama V up to the modern day.
Held at RCB Artery gallery on the 1st floor of River City mall, the auction was a lively affair featuring both on-site and online bidders. The highest prices achieved for artworks were as follows:
“Triton and Nereid (1921)” by Carlo Rigoli: 4,525,950 baht
“Kinnara’s Incantation” (1997) by Angkarn Kalayanapong: 4,061,750 baht
“Hide1” by Natee Utarit: 2,321,000 baht
“Face” by Alex Face: 2,088,900 baht
“Dok Bua” by Prayad Pongdam: 1,508,650 baht
However, the star of the show was “Vitruvian Man”, painted by Thawan in 2001. It shattered the previous record for the highest auction price ever achieved for an artwork in Thailand, with a winning bid of 25,531,000 baht.
“Vitruvian Man” is a large-scale oil painting created by the Chiang Rai-born artist after his return from studying in the Netherlands.
The artwork is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting of the same name.
It features three water buffaloes, symbolising Thawan’s efforts to stay in touch with his roots and heritage during his artistic odyssey abroad.