Christie’s will make its Abu Dhabi auction debut on 1 November with Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art. The sale will feature more than 70 works spanning six decades of modern and contemporary art from across the Middle East and North Africa.
Held at The Abu Dhabi EDITION, the auction marks 20 years since Christie’s first UAE sale in Dubai in 2006. The selection of works will feature artists from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, including notable names such as Paul Guiragossian, Samia Halaby, Mohamed Melehi, Nabil Nahas, Marwan, Inji Efflatoun, Nadia Saikali and Hassan Sharif.
Among the works to be showcased is Guiragossian’s Noces Wedding (1958-59), estimated at USD 300,000–500,000. The painting comes from the collection of Farid Trad, an early patron of modern Lebanese art, and was first exhibited at Guiragossian’s major 1959 exhibition in Lebanon.
Samia Halaby’s Yesterday (1978), previously shown at Sharjah Art Museum exhibition Lasting Impressions: Samia Halaby in 2023, is estimated at USD 200,000–300,000. The work comes from a pivotal period in the artist’s practice, marked by her experiments with geometric abstraction, colour and spatial perception.
Mohamed Melehi’s A30 (1962), from his early “black works” series, carries an estimate of USD 100,000–150,000. Dating to Melehi’s years at the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome, the painting reflects his early experiments with black and white abstraction, influenced by bianco e nero technique, Zen philosophy and Islamic Sufi traditions.
The auction will also feature two significant regional collections with five works from Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation, including Nadia Saikali’s Mandala Bleu Nuit (Midnight Blue Mandala) (1982), estimated at USD 30,000–50,000, and eight works from the Dalloul Collection in Beirut, including Inji Efflatoun’s Untitled (1987), estimated at USD 40,000– 60,000.
The presentation will be accompanied by talks and educational programming bringing together artists, collectors and researchers, alongside international highlights from Christie’s New York sales.
Christie’s Abu Dhabi debut comes during a particularly active period for the capital’s art scene. In November, Manarat Al Saadiyat will host the inaugural Frieze Abu Dhabi, taking place from 19 to 22 November and developed in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Together with the upcoming opening of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on 11 December, the auction forms part of a growing calendar of international art events and institutions shaping the capital’s art scene.
Selected works will be previewed in New York, Paris and London ahead of the exhibition in Abu Dhabi running from 28 October to 1 November.
