London – Christie’s live auction of Middle Eastern, Modern Art in London and the Middle Eastern Contemporary Art Online sale realised a combined total of £2,844,500 / $3,231,456 / AED, with strong sell-through rates of 82% by lot and 96% by value. This is the sixth year the Autumn auction has been offered in London and the results re-enforce the demand for quality works of art from the Middle East, Levant, Egypt and North Africa. The top lot of the sale was by Ali Banisadr (Iranian, b. 1976) Broken Land, which sold for £415,800 / AED / $, against a low estimate of £250,000. A new world auction record was set for Kamal Boullata (Palestinian 1942-2019), when Angelius II-II sold for £25,200.

The two auctions attracted bidders from 15 countries, with top lots being bought by clients from America, France, UAE and the UK.  Furthermore, the international reach of the category and global appreciation for art from the Middle East was underlined by 25% of new clients participating in these sales.

Meagan Kelly Horsman, Managing Director, Christie’s Middle East commented: “We are delighted to have hosted the first live sale of Modern & Contemporary Art from the Middle East at Christie’s King Street since 2019, to a room full of clients, old and new alike. With lots of active bidding online, via the phones and in the room, I was particularly happy to see a world record set for Kamal Boullata at £25,200 and an overall sale total of £2,191,140.”

Suzy Sikorski, Specialist Middle Eastern Art continued: “This season we had a fresh focus on Middle Eastern contemporary art, attracting interest across both international and Middle Eastern clients, and benefited from viewings during our 20/21 Art London Marquee week and Dubai touring highlights. Leading the live and online sales includes US based artists, Ali Banisadr, selling at £415,800, and Hayv Kahraman at £94,500, with new world records for Ali Cherri, Hazem Harb and YZ Kami, all coinciding with leading international institutional and gallery shows for these artists.”

Dr Ridha Moumni, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s Middle East concluded: ”This year, Christie's presented a quality of artworks reflecting the diversity and creativity of the Middle East. We are delighted with the success of the sale and the acquisition by both private and institutions of the curated selection that included significant works from Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Maghrib. We will ensure significant upcoming sales of modern and contemporary artworks and develop the category to meet the growing interest in the art of the region, regionally and internationally.”

Sale highlights included:

Two works by Egyptian master Mahmoud Saïd, offered inthe live auction at Christie’s on 2 November; a 1948 seascape entitled Les falaises-la baie à Marsa Matrouh (esquisse)which the artist gifted to his niece Queen Farida in the late 1940s, estimated at £70,000-100,000, selling for £157,500, and a 1919 work Le Nil à Louxor (Chadouf), which achieved £60,480.  Other works by modern masters to name are Paysage by Etel Adnan (Lebanese, 1925-2921), selling for £138,600 and No.224 by Samia Halaby (Palestinian, b. 1936) selling for £189,000.

Highlights from the Contemporary Middle Eastern Art online sale include:

- Hayv Kahraman (Iraqi, b. 1981), The Interpreter, sold for £94,500

- Chant Avedissian (Egyptian, 1951-2018), Icons of the Nile I sold for £75,600

- Hazem Harb (Palestinian, b.1980), Hollyland, sold for £32,760

- YZ Kami (Iranian, b. 1956), Untitled, sold for £16,380

New World auction records established:

- Kamal Boullata (Palestinian, 1942-2019), Angelius II-I, sold for £25,200

- Hedi Turki (Tunisian, 1922-2019), Plaine Fertile sold for £25,200

- Ahmed Mater (Saudi Arabian, b. 1070), Evolution of Men, sold for £100,800

- Ali Cherri (Lebanese, b. 1976), Egyptology 2, sold for £22,680

- Hazem Harb (Palestinian, b. 1980), Hollyland, sold for £32,760

- YZ Kami (Iranian, b. 1956), Untitled, sold for £16,380