The global appetite for works by <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/11/11/six-arab-artists-exploring-the-climate-crisis-in-their-work/" target="_blank">Arab artists </a>continues to grow at pace. Both <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/12/21/working-wonders-going-going-gone-christies-md-on-digging-picassos-out-of-the-desert/" target="_blank">Christie’s</a> and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/2023/09/15/diana-black-sheep-sweater-auction/" target="_blank">Sotheby’s</a> ran multiple auctions this year complete with a wealth of pieces by pioneering artists from the region – including men and women from diverse backgrounds, experiences and techniques. Here are the 10 most expensive sales of the year. <b>Sold for: </b>$352,800 Celebrated Lebanese-American artist <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2022/05/26/etel-adnan-paired-with-van-gogh-in-amsterdam-exhibition/" target="_blank">Etel Adnan</a> is known for multidimensional and multidisciplinary work. Her painting <i>California</i> sold for $352,800 in May at Christie’s in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2023/12/11/investcorp-acquires-50-stake-in-new-york-based-corsairs-infrastructure-business/" target="_blank">New York</a>. Painted in 2003, the piece is a homage to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2023/11/29/california-start-up-uses-limestone-to-take-out-co2-from-the-atmosphere/" target="_blank">California</a>, where Adnan moved to in the 1950s. The work takes inspiration from natural elements of America's West Coast – the ocean, mountains, forest and desert – and refines them into a unique representation, emblematic of Adnan’s aesthetic voice and style. <b>Sold for: </b>$355,708 Despite his untimely death in 1966 aged 41, painter <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/egyptian-artist-abdel-hadi-el-gazzar-s-daughter-on-growing-up-with-her-genius-father-1.1059642" target="_blank">Abdel Hadi El Gazzar</a> had a significant impact on the course of modern Egyptian art. His large body of work reveals an artist who explored ideas of existentialism as well as sociopolitical commentary. <i>Rate of Movement,</i> which was sold by Sotheby’s in October for £279,400 ($355,708), is an example of El Gazzar’s ability to meld detailed geometric shapes, creating a sense of flatness, against ideas of depth and space. <b>Sold for: </b>$355,708 Pioneering modern Saudi artist Abduljabbar Al Yahya’s 1985 painting, like much of his work, explores the themes of belonging, humanity and the importance of art. <i>Artist 2 </i>was also sold by Sotheby's for £279,400 ($355,708) in October, fetching the same price as El Gazzar's work. It illustrates Al Yahya’s interpretation of local culture and traditions, contrasted with his experiences as an artist on the international art scene. <b>Sold for:</b> $417,097 Christie's sold another piece by Adnan for £327,600 ($417,097) in October. Painted in 2016, <i>Untitled</i> is a jewel-like exploration of interlocking landscapesque shapes, which are painted in peach, pink, green and blue. The vibrant shapes stand out against a background palate of luminous yellows. The work evokes the landscapes of Adnan's home in Mount Tamalpais, California, and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/12/21/lebanon-beirut-jad-el-khoury-soft-shields/" target="_blank">Beirut</a>, where she spent her childhood. <b>Sold for: </b>$452,715 This previously unseen work by <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/2022/10/17/the-cultural-foundations-three-new-exhibitions-shine-a-light-on-past-present-and-future/" target="_blank">Fahrelnissa Zeid</a> is emblematic of her power as an artist of skill and vision. The Turkish artist, who died in 1991, was a prolific painter and a pioneer of modern art, influencing generations of artists across the region. Sotheby’s sold <i>Ischia</i> for £355,600 ($452,715) in October. The large piece is thought to have been painted in 1965 in Ischia, Gulf of Naples. The artist and her husband, Zaid bin Hussein, owned a summer home on the Italian island. Zeid’s brushstrokes depict an explosion of colour, from bold red to intense yellow, set against lush greens and turquoise. <b>Sold for: </b>$485,052 The renowned Palestinian artist <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2023/10/12/samia-halaby-lasting-impressions-sharjah/" target="_blank">Samia Halaby</a> described the <i>Seventh Cross No 229 </i>to Christie's as her “first serious effort as an artist who had freed herself from her education”. Painted as part of a series in 1969, the oil-on-canvas work is inspired by <i>The Holy Family in a Domestic Interior</i> by 15th-century artist Petrus Christus. The series, all of which depict crosses, was also greatly influenced by the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. Sotheby's sold it for £381,000 ($485,052) in October. <b>Sold for:</b> $565,902 Painted in 1980, this work by Lebanese artist <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/lebanese-painter-huguette-caland-dies-at-88-1.914386" target="_blank">Huguette Caland</a> is characterised by her use of intense shades of blue, strong lines and physical shapes. The untitled piece follows Caland's <i>Bribes de Corps</i> (Body Parts) series, which was produced between 1973 and 1976. <i>Untitled</i> was created while the artist was living in Paris with her family. It was a time when Caland’s aesthetics shifted and she employed the use of bolder colours. Sotheby's sold it for £444,500 ($565,902) in October. <b>Sold for:</b> $721,849 The portrait <i>Fille a l’imprime</i> (Girl in a Printed Dress) is one of<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/chronicling-the-life-and-work-of-egyptian-artist-mahmoud-said-1.58968" target="_blank"> Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said</a>’s most significant works. <i>Fille a l’imprime</i> was the most expensive piece sold by Christie's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/10/16/christies-dalloul-collection-auction-marhala-arab-art/" target="_blank">Marhala: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection</a> auction in November, fetching £567,000 ($721,849). At the sale, 48 pieces from across the Arab world were up for auction. The portrait depicts an unknown woman from the countryside in a printed dress. Egypt's rural landscape is in the background, painted in a darker emotive palette, and Said’s artistic command of light can be seen on the woman's face and arms. <b>Sold for: </b>$889,271 <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/art-dubai-modern-symposium-will-pay-tribute-to-arab-master-saloua-raouda-choucair-1.82619" target="_blank">Saloua Raouda Choucair</a>'s sculpture <i>Poem</i> is an example of her ability to blend the organic and the industrial. <i>Poem </i>was conceived in 1963 and cast in 2013, it is the second edition of three sculptures. Sotheby's sold the bronze piece for £698,500 ($889,271) in June. It is part of a wider sculptural series named <i>Poems</i>, or Kasa-id in Arabic, which the artist primarily worked on between 1963 and 1968. In <i>Poems</i>, Choucair explored aesthetical concepts of geometry, rhythm, proportionality and repetition as they occur in nature. <b>Sold for: </b>$1.1 million The most expensive work by an Arab artist sold at auction this year is by Saudi artist <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art/remembering-mohammed-al-saleem-one-of-the-truest-most-committed-and-selfless-artists-i-know-1.1118883" target="_blank">Mohammed Al Saleem</a>. Sotheby's sold <i>Untitled</i> for £889,000 ($1.1 million) in October. According to the auction house, the sale set an auction world record for a Saudi artist. Painted in 1986, <i>Untitled</i> signifies a crucial turning point for the artist’s aesthetics. The work also reveals Al Saleem’s prowess at stylised figuration within the abstract style. In the depiction of a desert landscape, Al Saleem recreates dunes through contained slabs of colour, painted in long brushstrokes. The subtle colour variation, in relation to the poses and movements of the figures, creates a sense of contained, balanced energy and harmony.