DUBAI // Proceeds from the sale of a painting by a prominent Libyan artist will help refugees from the Syrian war.
The Sixth Ode by Ali Ermes is a depiction of a poem from the Muallaqat Al Sabaa, a collection of seven pre-Islamic Arabic poems.
The artwork is estimated to be worth between US$120,000 (Dh440,784) and $180,000, Christie’s auction house said.
Christie’s said the painting was expected to fetch the highest price in its sale of modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art next month in Dubai.
Ermes gave his piece to Philanthropy Age, a quarterly magazine published in the UAE, to be sold for charity.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would receive half of the proceeds.
The Muallaqat are considered among the most important works of early Arabic poetry.
Ermes finished The Sixth Ode in 1993 as a part of a group of works celebrating the anthology.
The poem was composed by Antar ibn Shaddad, a poet and fighter born in northern Saudi Arabia during the sixth century.
Ermes, whose works mostly focus on Arabic and Islamic letters, poetry and art, used the poem’s 85 lines with layers of orange, red and violet, varying the size of the letters. The painting is acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas and is 250 centimetres by 225cm.
Other works have highlighted masterpieces from Arabic literature such as writings by Al Mutanabbi or Abul Ala Al Maari.
His pieces are featured in galleries including the British Museum in London and in private collections such as the Royal Collection of the Sultanate of Oman, the artist’s website says.
His painting The Continuum of Resolve, or Tawasul Al Himam, was commissioned to commemorate Dubai’s winning bid to host the World Expo in 2020.
“Mr Ermes is one of the leading figures from North Africa in the cultural and social Arab world,” said Hala Khayat, head of sales at Christie’s.
The auction is to take place at Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel in Dubai on March 19 at 7pm and streamed live on www.christies.com for internet bids.
Other artists whose works are being sold include Shafic Abboud from Lebanon and Farhad Moshiri from Iran.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
The five pillars of Islam
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
