Christie’s is bringing its first fine-art auction to Abu Dhabi, two decades after its inaugural sale in Dubai. MAWASIM includes approximately 70 works of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. A separate exhibition opening on October 28 also displays Kandinsky, Rothko and Picasso paintings destined for later New York sales.
Christie’s, the international auction house, has announced its first fine-art sale in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art is scheduled for November 1 at The Abu Dhabi EDITION hotel. Approximately 70 works are included, with modern and contemporary artists from the region represented. The company’s first auction in the country took place in Dubai in 2006.[1], [2]
The artists include Turkey’s Fahrelnissa Zeid, Iraqi painter Faisel Laibi Sahi, Egyptian modernist Mahmoud Said and Palestinian American artist Samia Halaby. Estimates range from eight to twelve thousand dollars up to five hundred to seven hundred thousand dollars. The title mawasim means seasons in Arabic. Zeid was among the first women to attend art school in Turkey.[1]
An accompanying exhibition opens on October 28 at the hotel in Al Bateen Marina. It includes Wassily Kandinsky’s 1923 Betonte Ecken, Mark Rothko’s 1968 Untitled and Pablo Picasso’s 1939 Tête de femme. These paintings are intended for later New York auctions. Their estimates are 60–80 million dollars, 10–15 million dollars and 12–18 million dollars respectively.[1]
