Sotheby's returns to Saudi Arabia for second auction with rare works by local and international artists

Sotheby’s is holding its second auction in Saudi Arabia on January 31, following its debut earlier this year when it staged the kingdom’s first international sale.

Once again titled Origins, the event will bring together works by Saudi and international artists, highlighting the country’s growing presence on the global art market. Before the auction, the featured pieces will go on public display for a week in a free exhibition, with venue details to be announced later.

The timing aligns with the opening of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and comes before the launch of Art Basel Doha in February, marking the art fair’s first iteration in the Middle East.

Among the leading lots is a rare work by the late Safeya Binzagr (1940–2024), considered one of the pioneers of Saudi art and often described as the “spiritual mother” of the kingdom’s contemporary scene. Born in Jeddah’s old city, Binzagr drew inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage, documenting regional traditions throughout her career. Her dedication to preserving national identity through art earned her the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Medal in 2017.

Painted in 1968, Coffee Shop in Madinah Road offers collectors a rare chance to acquire a piece from Binzagr’s personal archive, as she seldom sold or gifted her work.

Another highlight comes from modernist Mohammed Al Saleem (1939-1997), whose painting from 1989 has been consigned from a private collection in Bahrain. The piece shows off his signature style of Horizonism (or Al Afakia), a visual language shaped by the gradating skyline of Riyadh viewed from the desert. It is characterised by a rhythmic composition and sweeping bands of colour.

Al Saleem, a major figure in the region’s art history, held more than 30 solo exhibitions worldwide and set the current auction record for a Saudi artist after one of his paintings sold for $1.1 million at Sotheby’s London in 2023.

The sale will also include a work by Indian-born British sculptor and Turner Prize-winner Anish Kapoor, best known for his geometric and biomorphic forms that explore space, colour and perception, often using materials such as polished metal, resin, pigment and stone.

“Our pioneering journey in the Middle East will continue with a second auction in Saudi Arabia. Sotheby’s provides unparalleled exposure and is committed to nurturing the region’s burgeoning art ecosystem,” said Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s head of sale & contemporary art specialist.

“We were the first international auction house to hold an auction in Saudi Arabia, setting records and introducing world-class international artists to local collectors. We are not simply participating in this market, but actively shaping and expanding it, bringing global expertise, passion and vision to the heart of the Middle East.”

In February, Sotheby’s first auction in the kingdom was held in Diriyah. with results showing a particularly strong demand for modern, contemporary, Middle Eastern and digital art.

Works by Pablo Picasso, James Turrell and Saudi artist Al Saleem each tripled their estimates, with a third of the bidders coming from Saudi Arabia, 30 per cent of participants under the age of 40 and the majority of the contemporary pieces sold going to local bidders.

The total sale reached $17.2 million, with three pieces going for more than $1 million. About 2,500 attended the Origins exhibition ahead of the sale, with an additional 700 visitors attending panel discussions. The event itself was filled beyond capacity, with many standing along the sides of the 250-seat space to witness the auction.