Christie's all-star sale of Middle Eastern art features Nadia Saikali, Samia Halaby, Marwan and more

The Christie’s auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art has returned with an all-star selection of works.

They are being exhibited at Christie’s Dubai from Saturday until the end of the online auction on May 8.

The sale is a potent representation of the diverse practices shaping the region's contemporary art. There are works that represent Nadia Saikali’s gestural abstraction, the kaleidoscopic dynamism of Samia Halaby, the rippling portraits of Marwan, the calligraphic experimentations of Mohamed Melehi, Malika Agueznay and Dia Azzawi, as well as paintings by Helen Khal that show her figurative beginnings, and the ethereal canvases she is particularly known for.

Other notable figures featured in the auction include Inji Efflatoun, Kamal Boullata, Etel Adnan, Aref El Rayess, Laila Shawa, Paul Guiragossian, Nabil Anani, Fateh Moudarres and Yvette Achkar.

“What I’m really proud of is that a third of the auction is works by female artists,” Marie-Claire Thijsen, head of sale and a specialist at Christie’s London and Dubai, says. “We set out to highlight the female creativity across the region, both in the modern and contemporary periods.”

Works with the highest estimates include Halaby’s Water Lilies (2013), Charles-Hossein Zenderoudi’s Eyn + Eyn (1970) and Mohammed Al Saleem’s Desert Plants (1973). All three paintings are estimated to fetch between $100,000 to $150,0000.

While the first two works are strong examples of the respective artists' work, Al Saleem’s painting is particularly expected to hit a high price. The painting features a desert scene with emotive and textured depictions of palm trees and cacti across a layered ochre landscape. The dusk sky is made vivid with streaks of gold paint.

“We have seen a lot of demand for Saudi modernists recently,” Thijsen says. “Al Saleem is one of the main fathers of Saudi modernism. What is really interesting here is that you see this transition from his work being more naturalistic, and then becoming slightly more abstract when he moves through the '80s and the '90s.”

The exhibition allows pairings of works that might not otherwise have come together in one space. This is the case with Al Saleem’s work, which is juxtaposed against another painting inspired by the desert. Egyptian painter Gazbia Sirry’s untitled work is full of drama, swirling with pinks and pale yellows with an almost violent intensity.

The auction also has a dedicated section called Saudi Now! that features 12 works that create an interesting trajectory of art in the kingdom. It begins with the work by Al Saleem, as well as two paintings by Abdulhalim Radwi that show the artist’s penchant for using Saudi cultural motifs in his compositions. The collection then features contemporary works, including Ahmed Mater’s Illumination X-Ray diptych, Manal Al Dowayan’s Suspended Together, Nasser Al Salem's God is Alive, He Shall Not Die and Moath Alofi’s The Last Tashahhud.

Christie’s is bolstering its presence in Saudi Arabia. “We announced last year that we are opening an office in Saudi Arabia,” Thijsen says. “It is key to engage with a new generation of collectors in the Gulf by showing art that is representative for them.”

This has been a focus for Christie’s since it reprised its Dubai exhibitions in 2023. The auction house has been mindful of including Emirati artists in its sales, and veteran figures such as Mohammed Kazem and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim are represented.

“But we thought this time we'll do a specific Saudi section with the idea of highlighting the massive transformations that have happened in Saudi Arabia,” Thijsen says. “We also wanted to show that this growth didn’t come out of nowhere. The pieces by Al Saleem and Radwi, who were active in the '70s and '80s, really paved the way for the current generation of artists.”

The Christie’s exhibition of its annual online auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art has become a staple in Dubai’s cultural calendar – offering a chance to see important works by celebrated figures as they go between collections. It also gives those considering a purchase a chance to see how they respond to the work in person.

“The relationship with an artwork is not only aesthetical. There is also the emotional approach,” Ridha Moumni, chairman of Christie’s Middle East and Africa, says. “You can see a lot of paintings online or in a book, but it will never replace the emotional impact of an artwork when you see it in person. You see the technique, the brush strokes, the details.

“It’s important to keep this connection between the collectors, the clients and the artworks,” Moumni adds. “This is one of the reasons why it’s important to have these displays.”

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