Christie’s debut Abu Dhabi sale totals $8.94 million, setting nine auction records
Christie’s first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi totalled $8.94 million on Sunday, delivering the auction house’s highest total for an evening sale of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art in more than a decade. Held at The Abu Dhabi Edition, Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art brought together 70 lots by 58 artists from 13 countries. The sale marked two decades…
Christie's recent fine art auction in Abu Dhabi, themed Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, generated a record-breaking $8.94 million on its first evening sale of Middle Eastern art in over a decade. The event, held at The Abu Dhabi Edition, featured 70 lots from 58 artists representing 13 countries.
This marked two decades since Christie's inaugural UAE auction in Dubai in 2006. Anthea Peers, Christie's president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, expressed her delight at the global interest and engagement, stating that this was just the beginning. Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian's Variations on the Hexagon (2006) led the sales, achieving $844,800, while Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid's Composition (1948–1949) sold for $524,800.
The auction featured nine records, including the highest prices paid for specific media by Paul Guiragossian and Samia Halaby. Notable debutantes included Emirati artists Rami Farook, Fatma Lootah, and Afra Al Dhaheri, along with Lebanese artist Nabil Kanso. The auction attracted a diverse audience, with over 30% of registrants being millennials or Gen Z and 37% being new to Christie's.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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