Works by Inji Efflatoun, Fahrelnissa Zeid and Samia Halaby are among the highlights of the Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction at Sotheby’s London.
The bi-annual event will take place on Tuesday and feature a curated selection of artworks from the Arab world, North Africa, Iran and Turkey.
Halaby’s Morning Honey is among the works with the highest estimated sale price of £70,000 ($93,000) to £100,000 ($133,000). The work, dated to 1992, juxtaposes bold strokes of oranges and yellows against more subdued hues of blue and green. It typifies the abstraction that Halaby is celebrated for.
Works by Shafic Abboud and Sohrab Sepehri also hold similar estimates. Abboud’s Troisieme Chambre Verticale (The Third Vertical Room) is part of a series by the Lebanese artist that captures various moods, light and moments of the day. It was painted in 1983 and features a figure in the fetal position surrounded by swathes of colours – blues, oranges and reds – that bleed into one another. The work is regarded as an example of Abboud’s more mature artistic period.
The untitled work by Sepehri, produced sometime in the 1970s, shows the Iranian artist’s penchant of mixing oils and sand in his canvases. The restrained geometric composition is meant to reflect how the hot desert sun minimises forms into their bare outlines. The work has a slightly lower estimated sale price of £70,000 ($93,000) to £90,000 ($120,000).
Two works by Efflatoun are also being offered. The works were produced around the same time, with Untitled (Portrait of a Woman) dated to 1950 and Untitled (Portrait of a Man) created in 1954. The former has an estimated sale price of £40,000 ($53,000) to £60,000 ($80,000). The latter is set between £30,000 ($40,000) and £50,000 ($66,000).
A pair of works by Zeid, meanwhile, demonstrate the Turkish artists vivid and kaleidoscopic approach. High Seas at Eastbourne, painted in 1948, show a coastal scene in Britain with fervent lines full of movement and energy. The painting is estimated to sell for between £20,000 and £30,000. Carnations, on the other hand, was produced two years earlier and brings a similar energy into a dizzying still-life work. It's estimated sale price is £40,000 ($53,000) to £60,000 ($80,000).
More recent works are also being sold. These include a 2003 piece by Ahmed Mater that comes from the Saudi artist’s early experimentation with X-ray imagery, expressing the relationship between the body, science and faith in a rapidly modernising society. X-Ray Painting 5 is estimated to sell for between £40,000 ($53,000) and £60,000 ($80,000). A 2023 work by Najat Makki is also offered. Imprint #2 is estimated to go for £12,000 ($16,000) to £18,000 ($24,000), and shows the pioneering UAE artist’s continuing experimentations with abstraction.
Other artists whose works are being offered in the sale include Hassan Hajjaj, Adam Henein, Helen Khal, Paul Guiragossian, Aref El Rayess, Chant Avedissian, Mahmoud Sabri, Hussein Madi, Farideh Lashai, among others.
The Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction will be followed by another sale that is dedicated to arts from the Islamic World and India.
That sale, taking place on Wednesday, will include historic highlights, such as an illuminated Quran from the Safavid-era, estimated between £300,000 ($400,000) and £500,000 ($666,000); as well as a sprawling and detailed depiction of Maharaja Ranjit Singh riding through the Lahore bazaar, estimated between £200,000 ($266,000) and £300,000 ($400,000).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
Read more about the coronavirus
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