Christie's will hold its first fine arts auction in Abu Dhabi on November 1, 2023. This auction will showcase over 70 works by artists from across the Middle East and North Africa. The event is being held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the auction house's first auction in the Emirates.
Auction Details and Featured Works
The auction titled "Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art" will take place at the Abu Dhabi Edition Hotel. Works by Paul Guiragossian, Samia Halaby, Mohammad Malihi, Nabil Nahas, and Marwan are among the highlighted pieces in this auction. This collection encompasses over six decades of art from the region and will also feature works from the Dalloul Collection in Beirut and the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah.
This initiative brings one of Christie's longstanding auctions from London to Abu Dhabi, a city that is becoming an important destination for showcasing and trading art. The Frieze art fair will also bring galleries and collectors to Abu Dhabi in November, followed by the opening of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on December 11.
The Impact of Artists on the UAE Art Scene
Reza Momeni, President of Christie's in the Middle East and Africa, announced that future auctions in Abu Dhabi will depend on the outcomes of this auction and decisions related to Christie's international calendar. He also stated that works by Hassan Sharif, an Emirati artist, alongside works from other Emirati artists influenced by him, will be featured in this auction. Momeni regarded this selection as a sign of Sharif's impact on the UAE art scene over the past half-century.
This project has been in preparation for over a year, and the decision to hold it in Abu Dhabi was made before Christie's was informed of Frieze's presence in the city. Some of the artists whose works will be auctioned will also be present at the Frieze exhibition.
Works by artists from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will be included in this auction. The painting "The Bride" by Paul Guiragossian, created in 1955 and valued between $300,000 and $500,000, is among the significant works in this auction.
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