Christie’s will hold its first fine-art auction in Abu Dhabi on November 1, bringing together more than 70 works by artists from across the Middle East and North Africa to mark 20 years since its inaugural UAE sale.
Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art will take place at the Abu Dhabi Edition hotel, with works by Paul Guiragossian, Samia Halaby, Mohamed Melehi, Nabil Nahas and Marwan among the highlights. The selection spans more than six decades and includes pieces from Beirut’s Dalloul Collection and Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation.
The move brings an established London auction to Abu Dhabi as the capital expands into a place where art is traded and seen. Frieze art fair will bring galleries and collectors to the city in November, followed by Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s opening on December 11.
Christie’s first UAE auction took place in Dubai in 2006, and that office has remained its Middle East hub. Ridha Moumni, chairman of Christie’s Middle East and Africa, says future auctions in Abu Dhabi will depend on the results of this edition and decisions about the company’s international calendar.
“This event is not a one-off,” Moumni tells The National. “We are coming with the intention of being more present and more visible in the city.”
Hassan Sharif will feature alongside other Emirati artists inspired by him, Moumni reveals. The selection recognises the influence Sharif has had on the UAE’s art scene over the past half-century, bringing Emirati work into an auction that ranges across the region.
The project has been more than a year in preparation, and the decision to hold it in Abu Dhabi came before Christie’s heard about Frieze’s arrival. Some of the artists represented in the auction will also feature at the fair, giving collectors opportunities to encounter different works during the season.
Works coming to Abu Dhabi
Mawasim, which means “seasons” in Arabic, will feature artists from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with paintings drawn from different stages of their careers.
Guiragossian’s Noces (Wedding), painted in 1955 and estimated at $300,000-$500,000, comes from the collection of Farid Trad, an early patron of modern Lebanese art. The wedding scene was shown at Guiragossian’s first major exhibition in Lebanon in 1959 and most recently appeared in a show devoted to Trad’s collection at Saleh Barakat Gallery in Beirut in 2023.
Its inclusion comes ahead of the centenary of Guiragossian’s birth in December, with Moumni singling it out as one of the artist’s most exceptional works.
“We feel honoured to be entrusted by some estates and living artists with their works,” Moumni says. “When we partner with them, we are bringing to the market strong material, unseen works and very important works in the careers of artists.”
Halaby’s Yesterday, painted in 1978 and estimated at $200,000-$300,000, was included in Lasting Impressions: Samia Halaby at the Sharjah Art Museum in 2023-2024. The Palestinian-American artist used a squeegee to create variations in depth and space in the abstract painting. Halaby, Inji Efflatoun and Nadia Saikali are among the women whose work Moumni wanted to give prominence to in the sale.
Melehi’s A30, from 1962, is part of the Moroccan artist’s early series of “black works”, with a composition almost entirely stripped of colour. It has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000.
Barjeel and Dalloul’s contributions
Five works are being offered from Barjeel, including Saikali’s Mandala Bleu Nuit (Midnight Blue Mandala). The deep blue and black painting, created in 1982, was exhibited at Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah last year and is estimated at $30,000-$50,000.
The foundation is preparing to open its museum in Sharjah in 2028. This sale of select works is intended to support its acquisitions and the museum’s development, says Moumni. It follows an exhibition of Barjeel’s collection at Christie’s in London in 2023.
Eight works are coming from the Dalloul Collection, including Efflatoun’s Untitled, painted in 1987 and estimated at $40,000-$60,000. One of the Egyptian artist’s final works, it combines depictions of nature and the built environment.
“We’ve been developing sales with the Dalloul Art Foundation, which has been deaccessioning works for the last four years and also enriching the foundation with new acquisitions,” Moumni says. “These have focused more on younger artists and a different selection, completing the collection through new acquisitions.”
The two collections have helped preserve and exhibit Arab art internationally. Their involvement also brings works with documented exhibition and ownership histories to an auction that Moumni hopes will attract buyers discovering these artists for the first time.
An international audience
Select works will travel to New York, Paris and London before the Abu Dhabi viewing. Moumni describes the New York leg as the first time Christie’s has taken a touring selection of Middle Eastern works to the city, where he hopes to introduce the artists to American collectors.
The auction house’s London sale featuring works from the Dalloul Collection last November recorded 38 per cent of buyers as new to Christie’s. Bidding from outside the Middle East is increasing, according to Moumni, with prices rising for some artists whose work has gained wider international recognition.
“I think the artists of the region need greater recognition, and that needs to be reflected in the value of their works,” he says.
The growing familiarity with artists such as Efflatoun and Algerian painter and ceramicist Baya Mahieddine is apparent on Moumni’s travels, through encounters with people who know their work as well as exhibitions devoted to them abroad. He hopes their recognition will begin closer to home: audiences in the Middle East should be able to see these artists regularly, read about their work and learn about them in university courses.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will give visitors opportunities to encounter Arab art throughout the year. Its collection, developed since 2009, will show artists from the Arab world alongside figures including Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“I think everyone is excited about the opening of the Guggenheim because we have been waiting for this moment to give these artists a better platform,” Moumni says.
Exhibitions, talks and education
The Abu Dhabi presentation will include international highlights from Christie’s New York sales alongside the Middle Eastern works. An exhibition designer is being brought in to prepare the display, which will open on October 28 and remain on view through the auction day.
The accompanying programme will bring artists and collectors together to discuss research, publications and the role of auctions in building collections. Christie’s is also in talks with educational institutions in the UAE about activities for students, drawing on the expertise of Christie’s Education.
Moumni worked in academia and curation before entering the auction business five years ago. When he studied art history in Paris about two decades ago, Arab artists were absent from his courses.
“What we are witnessing today is the start of a movement that I think is very important, but it needs to be supported through publications, greater visibility and teaching at university,” he says.
The international previews begin at Christie’s in New York from September 17-21, followed by Paris from October 2-8 and London from October 8-15. The Abu Dhabi exhibition and programme run from October 28 to November 1 at the Abu Dhabi Edition, with the live auction on November 1.
Estimates exclude buyer’s premium
