Christie’s first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi concluded the sale reaching a total of USD 8,940,800. Entitled MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art the auction celebrated twenty years since Christie’s hosted its first sale in the UAE led by auctioneer Yü-Ge Wang.
Leading the results was Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s Variations on the Hexagon (2006), which realised USD 844,800, with bidding extending to nearly seven minutes, and reached more than its pre-sale estimate of USD 150,000–250,000. Fahrelnissa Zeid’s Composition (1948–1949) followed at USD 524,800, while Ali Banisadr’s Homo Deus (2018) achieved USD 512,000. Paul Guiragossian’s Noces (Wedding), Mahmoud Saïd’s Portrait de Princesse Fadia (1952) and Fahrelnissa Zeid’s Endless Thoughts (1970s) each realised USD 486,400. Further results included Samia Halaby’s Yesterday (1978), which achieved USD 358,400, Ayman Baalbaki’s Babel Tower (2012), which realised USD 281,600, and Farhad Moshiri’s Untitled (2003), which sold for USD 230,400.
Last night, the auction also set nine new records, including world auction records for Faisel Laibi Sahi’s Baghdad Café (The Coffee Shop) (2016 ) that went for USD 512,000, Jellal Ben Abdallah’s (The Female Musicians) (1973) at USD 204,800 and Juliana Seraphim’s Femme Fleur (Flower Woman) (1973) at USD 83,200. Guiragossian’s Noces (Wedding) (1958–59) and Halaby’s Three Way Seven (1982), set the auction record for their mediums.
Nabil Kanso’s Mother and Child (Kuwait/Desert Storm series) (1991), alongside works by Emirati artists Rami Farook’s Oh God, I Ask You for Peace of Mind (2024), Fatma Lootah’s Untitled (2011) and Afra Al Dhaheri’s No. 22 (Spaces for Improvisation series) (2022), which saw all four artists make their auction debuts.
The auction also featured works from prominent regional collections, including the Dalloul Collection in Beirut, which presented a selection of works including artists such as Ben Abdallah, whose Les Misiciennes (The Female Musicians) (1973) sold for USD 204,800, Laibi Sahi’s Baghdad Café (The Coffee Shop) (2016) achieved USD 512,000 and Halaby, whose Tashkeel I (2013) realised USD 204,800. The Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah also presented works from its collection, including Jumana El Husseini’s Al Qods (Jerusalem) (1975), which achieved USD 76,800, Nadia Saïkali’s Mandala Bleu Nuit (Midnight Blue Mandala) (1982), which sold for USD 40,960 and Seta Manoukian’s Figures (1967), which realised USD 23,040, among others.
Addressing the significance of the auction for Christie’s presence in the region, Anthea Peers, president of Christie’s EMEA, noted, “What an exceptional week. Two decades on from our first auction in the UAE, it’s thrilling to have held the first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi. We welcomed so many collectors together with those passionate about art and artists from the wider region to our view, programming and events. The response to MAWASIM has been hugely rewarding. It is a wonderful milestone in Christie’s history in the UAE, and we look forward to all that comes next.”
Dr Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Middle East and Africa, Christie’s, and Marie-Claire Thijsen, Head of Sale and Specialist, Christie’s UK and UAE, both noted in a joint statement: “Tonight’s results highlight the compelling selection of modern and contemporary art from the Middle East and North Africa offered in MAWASIM, reflecting the diversity of artistic languages, geographies and generations that have emerged across the region. We were delighted to see that more than 30 percent of registrants were Millennial and Gen Z, and in addition 37 percent were new to Christie’s this evening. The breadth of bidding across the sale demonstrates the international interest this category has achieved today. Its scale reflects the depth of the region’s art sector and its capacity to support a major sale of this kind.”
