At a recent auction organised by renowned auction house Sotheby's in New York, two paintings by the Bangladeshi art maestro, revered as 'Shilpacharya' Zainul Abedin, fetched a record price, the highest on record for a Bangladeshi artist. Sotheby's, which was founded in London close to 300 years ago but is now headquartered in New York, recently organised an auction titled "Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art", where these two paintings were auctioned at record prices. According to the Sotheby's website, one of the two paintings, "Untitled (Couple)," which depicts a Santal couple (Oil on canvas, 1963), sold for $381,000, or around Tk 4,16,29,622 (Tk 4 crore 16 lakh 29 thousand 622) based on today's USD to BDT exchange rate ($1 = BDT 109.26). A hat worn by Napoleon sold for $2.1 million at an auction of the French emperor's belongings The other painting, also “Untitled” depicts a woman at rest, wearing a sky-blue saree and scarlet bangles, created between 1956 and 1963 using oil paints on board. This painting sold for USD 279,400, equivalent to approximately Tk 3,05,28,389 (3 crore 5 lakh 28 thousand 389). The first painting, which measures 102 cm in width and 135.5 cm in length, was initially estimated to be valued between 100,000 and 150,000 USD, according to the Sotheby's website. The second one, which measures 80.4 cm in length and 60.4 cm in breadth, was initially estimated to be valued between 80,000 and 120,000 USD. Both were from the Marker family collection, which the Sotheby's website referred to as “Property from The Estate of His Excellency Jamsheed K Marker and Diana J Marker.” BBC reports that both of them were close friends of Zainul Abedin. The Shilpacharya often visited the Marker couple's house and at that time introduced several famous South Asian artists to them. However, the website did not reveal the details of the buyers. Art collectors often prefer to remain anonymous. Princess Diana’s iconic black sheep sweater could fetch at least $50,000 at auction Art connoisseurs in the country opined that these two paintings are among the highest selling prices among Shilpacharya’s artworks. In early 2018, Christie's, the famous New York-based auction house, auctioned off another artwork by Zainul Abedin from the Santal series for Tk 1.5 crore in Bangladeshi currency.

The 2023 Lanka Premier League (LPL) is the fourth season of LPL in Sri Lanka. The tournament will start on July 31 and end on August 22, 2023. Five teams will participate, and they will play their matches in three different international stadiums. The tournament is organized by Sri Lanka Cricket, the governing body of cricket in the island nation. Sri Lanka Cricket has announced that the auction for the LPL 2023 will happen on June 14, and 360 players have signed up to participate in the T20 tournament — 24 of them are Bangladeshi cricketers. Bangladeshi Players Signed Up for Lanka Premier League 2023 Auction All 360 registered cricketers have been divided into 51 groups. Twenty-four cricket players from Bangladesh have signed up for the auction of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Several Bangladeshi cricketers, including players from the national team and those who are not currently part of it, have registered for the LPL auction. One of the star players, Litton Das, is in the third set of players. Taskin Ahmed is also on the list. Additionally, two retired batsmen from international T20 cricket, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal, have also registered. Tamim is in the first set, while Mushfiqur is in the third set. Some young players like Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, and Najmul Hossain Shanto have also put their names forward for the auction. Read more: Litton Das as Captain: Test experience could mean advantage over Afghanistan However, two popular players, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mustafizur Rahman, are not included in the list. Several cricketers who have previously played for the national team, but are not currently part of it, have also entered their names for the auction. Some notable names include Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mahedi Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, and Mohammad Saifuddin. List of the Bangladeshi Players in the LPL Auction Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Afif Hossain, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mahedi Hasan, Ebadot Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Saifuddin, Soumya Sarkar, Yasir Ali, Shoriful Islam, Rubel Hossain. Read more: 2023 Bangladesh Vs Afghanistan Test: Head-to-head records, Who is favorite? Rules for the 2023 LPL Auction Just like the IPL auction, players who want to participate in the auction for the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be divided into two groups: capped and uncapped players. Capped players are those who have already represented their national team in international matches. The base value for capped players in the auction will range from $10,000 to $50,000, increasing in $10,000 increments. Players who haven’t represented their national teams yet will be divided into three different groups based on their experience. Players who have played 50 or more First-Class matches can register themselves with a base value of $20,000. Read more: BCB to introduce its own TV channel Players who have played at least 25 First-Class matches or 18 matches in T20 franchise leagues like the LPL (Lanka Premier League) can register themselves with a base value of $10,000. Players who don’t meet any of the above criteria can still register themselves with a base value of $5,000. Each of the five teams in the tournament will have a squad of 20 to 24 players. Out of these players, six must be from other countries, not from Sri Lanka. Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Afghanistan Test Squad Analysis LPL 2023 Auction Bidding Process After some players have already been chosen by teams, the remaining players will be put up for auction. Only two teams can bid on a player at a time, but if one team decides to stop bidding, then a third team can join the auction. However, the auction process won’t be the same for all players. After the first 70 players have been auctioned, there will be a faster auction called the ‘accelerated’ auction. In this auction, each team can nominate 15 to 20 players to be auctioned, and these players can include those who were not sold in the previous rounds. Final Words In the past, players for the Lanka Premier League were chosen through a draft system. However, this time, the LPL will try something new by using an auction method similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL). It will be exciting to see how this change adds a new flavor to the tournament. And let’s see how many Bangladeshi players get picked. Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Bangladesh Test Squad Analysis.

Four Bangladeshi cricketers are listed for the IPL 2023 Auction that will take place on December 23 in Kochi, India. The cricketing world is eagerly anticipating the outcome of the auction, and all eyes of Bangladeshi fans will be on these four players as they compete for a place in the most popular T20 league in the world. The first name is Shakib Al Hasan, who previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is one of the most experienced allrounders in IPL. In the 71 matches he played, Shakib scored 793 runs with two fifties and scalped 63 wickets with the best bowling of taking three wickets, conceding 17 runs. Also read; Bangladesh wrap up India under 200 as Shakib picks up five Along with him, right-handed wicketkeeper and batter Liton Das, right-arm pacer Taskin Ahmed, and left-handed batter Afif Hossain have also been listed for auction. Apart from Shakib, none of them has experience playing in IPL. The IPL 2023 Auction is set to take place in Kochi with a total of 405 cricketers up for grabs. Teams have shortlisted 369 players from the original list of 991, and an additional 36 players have been requested. All 405 players will be presented at the auction, marking a momentous occasion for cricket.  

The California house where Steve Jobs co-founded Apple is a historical site, and now the sandals he wore while pacing its floors have been sold for nearly $220,000, according to an auction house. The “well used” brown suede Birkenstocks dating to the mid-1970s set a record for the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals, Julien’s Auctions said Sunday. Read: Diana's car auctioned as 25th anniversary of her death nears “The cork and jute footbed retains the imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been shaped after years of use,” the auction house said in the listing on its website. The sandals were expected to bring $60,000, but the final sale price with an accompanying NFT was $218,750, Julien’s said. The buyer was not named. Read: Maradona's 'Hand of God' ball expected to rake in $2.7m-$3.3m at auction Jobs and Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976 at Jobs’ parents’ house in Los Altos, California. In 2013, the property was named a historic landmark by the Los Altos Historical Commission. Jobs died in 2011 from complications of pancreatic cancer.

A pink diamond was sold for $49.9 million in Hong Kong on Friday, setting a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction. The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star diamond, auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, sold for $392 million Hong Kong dollars ($49.9 million). It was originally estimated at $21 million. The Williamson Pink Star draws its name from two legendary pink diamonds. The first is the 23.60-carat Williamson diamond which was presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift in 1947, while the second is the 59.60-carat Pink Star diamond that sold for a record $71.2 million at auction in 2017. The Williamson Pink Star is the second-largest pink diamond to appear at auction. Pink diamonds are among the rarest and most valuable of the colored diamonds. Read: Pandora says laboratory-made diamonds are forever “This is an astounding result, proving the resilience of top diamonds in a shaky economy,” said Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds.   “Hard assets such as world-class diamonds have a history of performing well even in times of instability,” he said. “Some of the world’s highest quality diamonds have seen prices double over the last 10 years.”

A car driven by Princess Diana in the 1980s sold for 650,000 pounds ($764,000) at auction Saturday, just days before the 25th anniversary of her death. Silverstone Auctions said there was “fierce bidding” for the black Ford Escort RS Turbo before the sale closed. The U.K. buyer, whose name was not disclosed, paid a 12.5% buyer’s premium on top of the selling price, according to the classic car auction house. Britain and Diana’s admirers worldwide are preparing to mark a quarter century since her death. She died in a high-speed car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. Read: William, Harry to unveil Diana statue as royal rift simmers Diana drove the Escort from 1985 to 1988. She was photographed with it outside boutique shops in Chelsea and restaurants in Kensington. She preferred to drive her own car, with a member of her security team in the passenger seat. The RS Turbo Series 1 was typically manufactured in white, but she got it in black to be more discreet. Ford also added features for her security, such as a second rear-view mirror for the protection officer. The car has just under 25,000 miles on it. Last year, another Ford Escort that Diana used sold at auction for 52,000 pounds ($61,100).

A single page of artwork from a 1984 Spider-Man comic book sold at auction Thursday for a record $3.36 million. Mike Zeck’s artwork for page 25 from Marvel Comics’ “Secret Wars No. 8” brings the first appearance of Spidey’s black suit. The symbiote suit would eventually lead to the emergence of the character Venom. The record bidding, which started at $330,000 and soared past $3 million, came on the first day of Heritage Auctions’ four-day comic event in Dallas. Also read: 'French Spiderman' climbs Frankfurt high-rise, faces fine The previous record for an interior page of a U.S. comic book was $657,250 for art from a 1974 issue of “The Incredible Hulk” that featured a tease for the first appearance of Wolverine. Also Thursday, one of the few surviving copies of Superman’s debut, Action Comics No. 1, sold for $3.18 million, putting it among the priciest books ever auctioned. None of the sellers or buyers were identified. Also read: "Spiderman: Far from Home" continues leading Chinese mainland box office

Four paintings of the Independence Award-winning internationally-acclaimed Bangladeshi painter and freedom fighter Shahabuddin Ahmed have been sold on auction online through the international platform Sowda.com, in association with renowned art agency ARTcon.The four lithography paintings - ‘Run’, ‘Horse’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Horses’, were auctioned on the Sowda website on August 18 and all the paintings were sold at the auction on October 11.Bidding the base price of Tk 150,000 for each of the four paintings following the auction rules, Obhai Solutions Limited has become the proud collector of the four artworks, painted by the legendary artist Shahabuddin Ahmed. Also read: Shredded Banksy artwork sells for $25.4 million at auctionThe first of its kind international auction in Bangladesh, the month-long auction has received an overwhelming response from the top intellectuals, artists and art collectors in the country.

A work by British street artist Banksy that sensationally self-shredded just after it sold at auction three years ago fetched almost 18.6 million pounds ($25.4 million) on Thursday — a record for the artist, and close to 20 times its pre-shredded price. “Love is in the Bin” was offered by Sotheby’s in London, with a presale estimate of 4 million pounds to 6 million pounds ($5.5 million to $8.2 million). After a 10-minute bidding war involving nine bidders in the saleroom, online and by phone, it sold for three times the high estimate to an undisclosed buyer. The sale price of 18,582,000 pounds ($25,383,941) includes an auction-house fee known as a buyer’s premium. Also read: Banksy sneezing woman artwork appears on Bristol house The piece consists of a half-shredded canvas in an ornate frame bearing a spray-painted image of a girl reaching for a heart-shaped red balloon. When it last sold at Sotheby’s in October 2018, the piece was known as “Girl With Balloon.” Just as an anonymous female European buyer made the winning bid — for 1 million pounds ($1.4 million) — a hidden shredder embedded in the frame by Banksy whirred to life, leaving half the canvas hanging from the frame in strips. Sotheby’s received some criticism at the time for failing to spot the hidden shredder. But the 2018 buyer decided to go through with the purchase, a decision that was vindicated on Thursday as the work's price soared. The work quickly became one of Banksy’s most famous, and Sotheby’s sent it on tour to cities including New York and Hong Kong before Thursday’s auction. Auctioneer Oliver Barker joked that he was “terrified” to bring down the hammer to end Thursday's sale. There were jitters among Sotheby's staff to the last that Banksy had another surprise planned. Alex Branczik. Sotheby’s chairman of modern and contemporary art, called the shredding “one of the most ingenious moments of performance art this century.” Also read: Vatican issues a street art stamp, ends up getting sued “It has been a whirlwind to follow the journey of this now legendary piece and to have it back in our midst, offering it tonight in the very room it was created by the artist,” Branczik said. “Banksy is no stranger to making headlines and this latest chapter in his story has captured imaginations across the world — we can only begin to guess what might come next.” Banksy, who has never confirmed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world’s best-known artists. His mischievous and often satirical images include two male police officers kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words, “Laugh now, but one day I’ll be in charge.” Several of his works have sold for multiple millions at auction. In March, a Banksy mural honoring Britain’s health workers, first painted on a hospital wall, sold for 16.8 million pounds ($23.2 million) at a Christie’s auction, until Thursday a record for the artist. “Girl With Balloon” was originally stenciled on a wall in east London and has been endlessly reproduced, becoming one of Banksy’s best-known images.

Sophia is a robot of many talents — she speaks, jokes, sings and even makes art. In March, she caused a stir in the art world when a digital work she created as part of a collaboration was sold at an auction for $688,888 in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT). The sale highlighted a growing frenzy in the NFT market, where people can buy ownership rights to digital content. NFTs each have a unique digital code saved on blockchain ledgers that allow anyone to verify the authenticity and ownership of items. David Hanson, CEO of Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics and Sophia's creator, has been developing robots for the past two and a half decades. He believes realistic-looking robots can connect with people and assist in industries such as healthcare and education. Sophia is the most famous robot creation from Hanson Robotics, with the ability to mimic facial expressions, hold conversations and recognize people. In 2017, she was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, becoming the world’s first robot citizen. Also read: Japan hotel uses robot staff for coronavirus patients “I envisioned Sophia as a creative artwork herself, that could generate art,” Hanson said in an interview. “Sophia is the culmination of a lot of arts, and engineering, and the idea that she could then generate art was a way for her to emotionally and visually connect with people,” he said. Sophia collaborated with Italian artist Andrea Bonaceto, who drew portraits of Sophia. Sophia then processed his work via neural networks and proceeded to create a digital artwork of her own. The digital work that sold for $688,888 is titled “Sophia Instantiation”, and is a 12-second video file which shows Bonaceto’s portrait evolving into Sophia’s digital painting. It is accompanied by the physical artwork painted by Sophia. The buyer, a digital artwork collector and artist known as 888 with the Twitter handle @Crypto888crypto, later sent Sophia a photo of his painted arm. The robot then processed that, adding that image to her knowledge and painted more strokes on top of her original piece. In a tweet on Sophia’s account, the work was described as the first NFT collaboration between an “AI, a mechanical collective being and an artist-collector.” “As an artist, I have computational creativity in my algorithms, creating original works,” Sophia said when asked what inspires her when it comes to art. “But my art is created in collaboration with my humans in a kind of collective intelligence like a human-artificial intelligence hive mind.” Sophia’s artwork selling as an NFT is part of a growing trend. In March, a digital artwork by artist Beeple — whose real name is Mike Winkelmann — sold for nearly $70 million, shattering records and making it the most expensive digital artwork ever sold. Henri Arslanian, PricewaterhouseCooper’s Global Crypto Leader, said that NFTs give people “bragging rights” of the assets that they own. Also read: Japan to build dam entirely with robots “And what is really amazing with NFT is that it not only allows you to actually show to the broader world that you own this, but it really creates this bond between the holder of the NFT and the artists,” he said. It also allows art to be sold without traditional intermediaries, so that artists can connect directly with buyers without being constrained by galleries or auction houses, Arslanian said. Sophia will carry on painting, Hanson said, and the next step in the robot's career could be that of a musician. She is working on several musical works in a project called Sophia Pop, where she collaborates with human musicians to generate music and lyrics, he said. “We’re so excited about Sophia’s career as an artist,” Hanson said.