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Ishrat Kanga joined Sotheby's in 2010 and worked across the company in the Impressionist and Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Old Master Paintings and Early British Pictures departments. Since joining the modern and contemporary South Asian art team in 2011, Ishrat has been at the forefront of the development of the market, building key relationships with a wide network of international collectors, artists, curators and institutions.
As Director and Head of Sale, Ishrat is responsible for sourcing and selling property in the modern and contemporary South Asian art auctions in London and New York, online sales and private sales throughout the year. She also works on cultivating high net worth clients and their portfolios, advising on future acquisitions and conducting regular valuations for auction and insurance purposes. With nearly a decade and a half of experience at Sotheby’s, Ishrat has a unique understanding of aesthetic value and commercial capital, and her guidance has contributed to major departmental growth year over year.
This department brings some of the finest modern and contemporary South Asian artworks to auction. Ishrat played a key role in this success, having worked on and contributed to several important, record-breaking sales. The London auction in October 2023 achieved the highest sell-through rate (99%) in the history of the department and highest London sale total in the last 17 years ($9.9 million). In 2022, The Surya Collection: Property from Mrs. Ute Rettberg brought a myriad of fresh South Asian artists to market, many of their works achieving the world auction records. In 2013, the Amaya Collection registered a total of $6.6 million and was the first evening sale, as well as the first single owner sale in the category to be held internationally since 2000.
In 2016, Ishrat trained to become a Sotheby’s auctioneer, one of few women of colour to become an auctioneer in the company’s history. Paired with her industry proficiency and art historical knowledge, Ishrat’s leadership at the helm of a sale contributes to its multimillion-dollar success. Most recently, she hammered the world auction records for Manjit Bawa, Zainul Abedin and Rabindranath Tagore in the London 2023 sale.
After the October 2023 sale, Live Mint published a feature on its success and the growing South Asian art market. Ishrat published a column in the Economic Times in October 2023 titled, “The Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Art,” a series of pointers on how to buy art that brings more value to your life, not just your portfolio. Ishrat’s contributions to global press emphasize market growth and curiosity, encouraging young or new buyers to build their collections.
In November 2023, Ishrat gave a lecture at the London School of Economics, “Beyond the Frame: My Career at Sotheby’s and the South Asian Art Market,” where she spoke on over a decade of experience in the field and the trends of the market in the last 20 years. A guest lecturer in the past for the Asian Art and Its Markets course at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Ishrat has taught graduates and undergraduates alike about the South Asian art market and the art world and has a passion for sharing her expertise. She participates in panel discussions, most recently in September 2023, Ishrat spoke on collecting trends and the intersection of technology and art in a panel discussion for SEI x ART 2023, Stallion Empowerment Initiative’s platform to bring Nigerian and Indian art to broader audiences. Ishrat remains an active member of the art fraternity, engaging students and collectors all over the world.
Ishrat holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Art History and Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a Master of Arts degree from Christie’s Education, specialising in Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary Art and Artworld Practice. Her thesis was titled Women and War: Political Art in the 21st Century.
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