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Artmarket.com: Artprice looks back over 2021 auction highlights and the NFT phenomenon

PARIS, Dec. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The term ‘NFT’ has been elected word of the year 2021 (all languages combined) by the Collins English Dictionary. The blockchain technology supporting the existence of NFTs was officially born in 2017, but it is only in the last ten months that it has attracted the general public’s attention by inviting itself into the art auction sphere. Today, it seems everyone is talking about NFTs…

This new digital market could merge completely with the physical art market; it already represents 8% of global secondary art market auction turnover. However, the two universes might also develop in parallel, with brief forays into each other’s territory, the physical world on one side and the metaverse on the other… like Ying and Yang.

Artprice’s Contemporary Art Price Index - Base 100 on January 1, 2000

thierry Ehrmann, CEO and Founder of Artmarket.com and its Artprice department: “The appearance of NFTs in the auction sphere represents a genuine revolution, the intensity of which can be explained both by long bottled-up demand and a particularly favorable economic context. Beeple’s initial record ($69.3 million) back in March perfectly illustrates this pent-up demand, the scale of which Christie’s itself had not predicted. NFTs question the art market’s traditional modus operandi, since artists without any market history (but with a huge community on social networks) can, in a few hours, reach prices usually reserved for the likes of René Magritte and Willem de Kooning“.

Artprice by Artmarket.com explains the NFTs for 2022

Artprice looks back at the key developments of the year 2021, quarter by quarter.

Q1: Boticelli vs. Beeple

Unveiled in September 2020, just before a second global wave of the Covid pandemic, Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel (attributed to the Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli) was put up for sale by Sotheby’s in New York on 28 January 2021. Despite doubts surrounding the attribution of the world’s most expensive artwork (Salvator Mundi) to Leonardo da Vinci, and despite a still uncontrollable pandemic, this rare Botticelli masterpiece sold for $92 million, the second highest auction result of all time for a work by an Old Master.

However the biggest surprise of the year came on 11 March 2021 when Christie’s online auction platform sold what looked at first glance like a simple jpeg… for $69.4 million. The artist behind the work, Beeple, was totally unknown to the art market, but he had millions of followers on Instagram who know the 5,000 digital works offered by Christie’s in the form of an NFT. Faced with the unexpected enthusiasm of new bidders, François Pinault’s prestigious auction house accepted payment in a cryptocurrency for the first time in its history.

Q2: A flurry of records in the spring

It took a few months for the art market to fully appreciate the nature and implications of non-fungible tokens. During April 2021, two other major auction houses are also launched the sale of NFTs: Sotheby’s with The Fungible Collection by Pak, and Phillips with the work Replicator by Mad Dog Jones. The prices obtained for these works continued to disconcert collectors and analysts.

Fortunately in May 2021, New York’s traditional major art sales resumed, and a very physical artwork crossed the $100 million threshold for the first time in two years. Woman Seated Near a Window (Marie-Thérèse) (1932) by Pablo Picasso was acquired for $103 million at Christie’s on 13 May 2021. In its wake, almost all of the art market’s major signatures fetched very reassuring prices: Basquiat, Monet, Van Gogh, Warhol,… with lots of artists revising their personal auction records.

Top 5 new artist records recorded in May 2021 in New York

  1. Richard Diebenkorn: Ocean Park # 40 (1971) – $27,265,500 – 12/05/2021, Sotheby’s
  2. Larva Labs: 9 Cryptopunks – $16,962,500 – 11/05/2021, Christie’s
  3. Robert Colescott: George Washington […] (1975) – $15,315,900 – 12/05/2021, Sotheby’s
  4. Childe Hassam: Flags on 57th Street, Winter (1918) – $12,328,500 – 12/05/2021, Sotheby’s
  5. Barbara Hepworth: Parent II (1970) – $7,110,000 – 13/05/2021, Christie’s

Q3: Online sales didn’t stop during the summer

Traditionally, the major auction houses have always taken a break from sales during the months of July and August, in conjunction with the closure of art galleries and art fairs. But in 2020, the postponements caused by the covid pandemic and the establishment of new online sales platforms encouraged auction houses to continue part of their activities throughout the summer period, an exercise that was repeated in 2021, with online sales ensuring the circulation of works to all four corners of the globe.

A total of 121,000 fine art lots were auctioned in the third quarter of 2021. This historic transaction intensity for the summer period was largely driven by the Asian market; not just by sessions in Hong Kong, but also in mainland China, South Korea and Japan.

Top 3 Fine Art results in Asia during July and August 2021

  1. Yayoi Kusama (1929): Pumpkin (1981) – $4,290,000 – 31/07/2021, Mainichi Tokyo
  2. Fu Baoshi (1904-1965): Spring (1963) – $4,400,000 – 25/07/2021, Xiling Yinshe Hangzhou
  3. Whan-Ki Kim (1913-1974): 1 -VII 71 # 207 (1971) – $4,152,720 – 24/08/2021, Seoul Auction

Q4: All indicators turn green…

The months of October and November saw countless new records for all creative periods: Jackson Pollock, Gustave Caillebotte, Peter Doig, Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Pierre Soulages, Agnes Martin, etc. The sales of two very prestigious American collections – the Impressionist Cox Collection at Christie’s, and the Post-War Macklowe Collection at Sotheby’s – made the last quarter of 2021 the most prosperous Q4 in American art market history.

Expected to rebound after a 2020 marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, Artprice will be looking more closely at this highly positive turn of events in its upcoming Annual Art Market Report.

Aside from the NFT phenomenon, one of the year’s key trends was the emergence of the Hong Kong market which proved to be absolutely decisive for the global art market as a whole. Not only did it host sales, for the first time, of major works by Jean-Michel Basquiat in Asia, it also hammered new records for major signatures, both Western (Richard Prince) and Asian (Yayoi Kusama). But, above all, Hong Kong emerged as the new hub for red chip artists – i.e. young signatures who trigger passionate bidding – like the American artist Avery Singer and the Ghanaian artist Amaoko Boafo. Last, but not least… Hong Kong is also emerging as one of the major new capitals for NFT sales.

Images:

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2021/12/image1-artprice-index.png]

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2021/12/image2-boticelli.jpeg]

Copyright 1987-2021 thierry Ehrmann www.artprice.com – www.artmarket.com

About Artmarket:

Artmarket.com is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 – Bloomberg: PRC – Reuters: ARTF.

Discover Artmarket and its Artprice department on video: www.artprice.com/video

Artmarket and its Artprice department was founded in 1997 by its CEO, thierry Ehrmann. Artmarket and its Artprice department is controlled by Groupe Serveur, created in 1987.

See certified biography in Who’s who ©:

Biographie_thierry_Ehrmann_2022_WhosWhoInFrance.pdf

Artmarket is a global player in the Art Market with, among other structures, its Artprice department, world leader in the accumulation, management and exploitation of historical and current art market information in databanks containing over 30 million indices and auction results, covering more than 770,000 artists.

Artprice by Artmarket, the world leader in information on the art market, has set itself the ambition through its Global Standardized Marketplace to be the world’s leading Fine Art NFT platform.

Artprice Images® allows unlimited access to the largest Art Market image bank in the world: no less than 180 million digital images of photographs or engraved reproductions of artworks from 1700 to the present day, commented by our art historians.

Artmarket with its Artprice department accumulates data on a permanent basis from 6300 Auction Houses and produces key Art Market information for the main press and media agencies (7,200 publications). Its 5.4 million (‘members log in’+social media) users have access to ads posted by other members, a network that today represents the leading Global Standardized Marketplace® to buy and sell artworks at a fixed or bid price (auctions regulated by paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article L 321.3 of France’s Commercial Code).

Artmarket with its Artprice department, has been awarded the State label “Innovative Company” by the Public Investment Bank (BPI) (for the second time in November 2018 for a new period of 3 years) which is supporting the company in its project to consolidate its position as a global player in the market art.

Artprice’s 2020/21 Contemporary Art Market Report by Artmarket.com:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2021

Artprice by Artmarket’s 2020 Global Art Market Report published in March 2021:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2020

Index of press releases posted by Artmarket with its Artprice department:

serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseEN.htm

Follow all the Art Market news in real time with Artmarket and its Artprice department on Facebook and Twitter:

www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom/ (over 5,4 million followers)

twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

twitter.com/artpricedotcom

Discover the alchemy and universe of Artmarket and its artprice department https://www.artprice.com/video headquartered at the famous Organe Contemporary Art Museum “The Abode of Chaos” (dixit The New York Times): https://issuu.com/demeureduchaos/docs/demeureduchaos-abodeofchaos-opus-ix-1999-2013

L’Obs – The Museum of the Future: https://youtu.be/29LXBPJrs-o

www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999

(4.4 million followers)

https://vimeo.com/124643720

Botticelli, Portrait of a young man holding a roundel, $92,184,000 at Sotheby’s New York, January 28, 2021

 

Art_Market_logo

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Contact Artmarket.com and its Artprice department: Thierry Ehrmann, ir@artmarket.com

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Reliance Digital Introduces High-Performance iQOO 15R to its Nationwide Store Network

MUMBAI, India, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reliance Digital announces the offline retail availability of iQOO, the high-performance smartphone brand built for today’s youth and tech-forward consumers. Following strong traction in online channels, iQOO is now extending its presence into physical retail, allowing customers to experience and purchase its devices first-hand at Reliance Digital stores across India.

Known for pushing the boundaries of speed, and power, the iQOO 15R is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, delivering exceptional speed, responsiveness, and sustained performance throughout the day. It packs iQOO’s biggest battery yet in an ultra-slim 7.90mm design, making it India’s slimmest smartphone with a 7600 mAh battery.

The device features a 6.5K IceCore VC Cooling Chamber for stable performance and runs on OriginOS 6.0 based on Android 16 out of the box, supported by 4 years of software updates and 6 years of security updates. It is also equipped with a Sony LYT-700V OIS camera, a 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED EyeCare display, and IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance, making it a dependable daily partner for professionals on the go.

The brand’s offline expansion marks an important step in deepening consumer engagement by offering hands-on access to its devices, enabling customers to explore iQOO’s powerful performance, advanced display technology, and flagship-grade camera capabilities in a real-world retail environment.

The availability of iQOO at Reliance Digital brings together two brands driven by innovation and consumer experience. While iQOO continues to build its reputation as a performance-led smartphone brand, Reliance Digital strengthens its portfolio by offering customers access to cutting-edge technology brands through its extensive nationwide retail network.

Through engaging in-store experiences, knowledgeable staff, and immersive product demonstrations, Reliance Digital aims to help consumers better understand iQOO’s performance-first DNA. This move further reinforces Reliance Digital’s commitment to staying ahead of evolving consumer preferences and serving as a preferred destination for discovering new-age technology.

With this expansion, Reliance Digital continues to play a key role in shaping India’s consumer electronics landscape by bringing future-ready brands closer to customers, while enabling smartphone brands like iQOO to build stronger connections with a growing, performance-driven audience.

The all new iQOO 15R is now available at Reliance Digital stores nationwide.

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Kotak Alts announces winner of the inaugural Katalyst Awards

Ms Himani Choudhary named Katalyst for the year – India’s Best Financial Content Creator; wins Rs. 25 Lakhs

MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Kotak Katalyst Awards, a national initiative instituted to recognise excellence and responsibility in financial content creation has announced the winner of its first Katalyst edition. Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (“Kotak Alts”) today announced Himani Choudhary as the winner. The winner was awarded a prize of INR 25 Lakhs, positioning Katalyst among the most meaningful recognitions for financial content creators in India.

Srini Sriniwasan, Managing Director, Kotak Alts, said, “The Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards were instituted to recognize content creators who are contributing meaningfully to financial literacy in India. As investor participation deepens, audiences are seeking clarity, context, and credibility. The response from creators was overwhelming and points to the new generation of financial educators.  As the inaugural winner Ms. Himani Chaudhary, exemplifies the standard of financial communication that Katalyst seeks to encourage.”

The first edition of the Kotak Alts Katalyst Awards received over six hundred entries from across 19 states and in 8 languages, reflecting the growing role of digital creators in shaping financial awareness. Conceived in response to increasing clutter and misinformation in the financial ecosystem, Katalyst is designed to recognize creators who place accuracy, transparency, and investor interest at the core of their work.

The winning content, ‘Personal Finance & Major Finance Updates’ by Himani Choudhary, was recognised for its clarity, originality, and credibility. The jury noted the content’s ability to explain complex financial concepts in a clear and measured manner, supported by strong research and a consistent focus on investor education over virality.

To ensure a robust and transparent evaluation process, the awards framework was designed and audited by EY. The top thirty entries were assessed by an academic jury.

The top 10 finalists were subsequently evaluated by a grand jury comprising Kunal Shah, Founder and CEO of CRED; Radhika Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund; and Alpesh Shah, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, and chaired by Ananth Narayan, former Whole–Time Member of SEBI with extensive capital markets and regulatory experience.

The Katalyst Awards recognise financial content creators who priorities financial literacy, substance, and long–term investor interest. Through this initiative, Kotak Alts aims to encourage responsible financial communication and support the development of informed and confident investors across India.

About Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Ltd: Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (‘Kotak Alts’), a part of Kotak Mahindra Group (‘Kotak’), focuses on Alternate Asset Management and Investment Advisory businesses. Kotak Alts was set up in early 2005 and has raised, managed, and advised over USD 22 billion across different asset classes, including Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Special Situations, Private Credit, and Investment Advisory. The asset management business and investment advisory vertical are managed by independent specialist teams. For more information, visit https://www.kotakalternateasset.com/

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Paperpal for Life Sciences Establishes HIPAA Readiness, Strengthening Enterprise Adoption of AI in Regulated Medical and Scientific Writing Workflows

MUMBAI, India, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Paperpal for Life Sciences, an enterprise-grade Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform by Cactus Communications, purpose-built for Medical Affairs and Life Sciences organizations, announced the completion of an assessment evaluating its operational and technical safeguards to support Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. This milestone reinforces Paperpal’s commitment to meeting the rigorous standards of security, data protection, and regulatory readiness required for regulated scientific workflows.

Growing AI use in medical affairs writing and publication workflows is intensifying scrutiny on data privacy, governance, and regulatory accountability. To support these evolving needs, Paperpal for Life Sciences has undertaken an assessment of its systems and processes to evaluate readiness to support HIPAA compliance, where applicable, and now proudly offers the option to execute a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This offering gives customers the confidence that PHI or PII, if received, is handled securely and responsibly, in line with regulatory expectations and enterprise risk management practices.

Paperpal for Life Sciences provides AI writing, literature search, source-grounded summarization with citation support, and critical publication checks, powering medical affairs content creation under stringent data privacy and governance controls. The platform accelerates research-to-publication timelines by upto 25%, supporting faster dissemination of clinical evidence and earlier commercialization of new drugs and therapies.

Nishchay Shah, Group CTO and EVP, Products and AI at Cactus Communications, said, “As AI becomes foundational to regulated scientific and medical workflows, compliance and trust are no longer optional. Paperpal for Life Sciences’ HIPAA readiness measures reflect our secure-by-design approach to AI, strong data governance framework, and alignment with real-world enterprise and regulatory requirements. This milestone enables organizations to adopt AI at scale with confidence that their data, processes, and compliance obligations are protected .”

Elvira Dsouza, President, Cactus Life Sciences, added, “Medical Affairs and Life Sciences teams operate in highly regulated environments where scientific rigor, data privacy, and compliance are non-negotiable. HIPAA readiness positions Paperpal for Life Sciences as a trusted AI partner, one that enables organizations to accelerate evidence generation and scientific communication without compromising regulatory integrity .”

With this announcement, Paperpal for Life Sciences reinforces its position as a purpose-built, enterprise-ready AI platform for medical affairs content generation that supports innovation while meeting the highest standards of privacy, ethics, and regulatory compliance.

Media Contact:

Nidhi Amin

nidhi.amin@cactusglobal.com 

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