Jeddah – The e-catalogue for a special charity auction of Middle Eastern contemporary art has been published ahead of a public exhibition in Saudi Arabia on June 23rd and 24th before the auction on June 26.

Art For Al Balad: A Charity Auction will take place in Jeddah and is the first event of its kind in the Kingdom.  It has been organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, in partnership with Christie’s and the Hafez Gallery.

More than 40 works have been generously donated for the sale by collectors, artists and gallerists representing artists from around the Middle East, to raise funds for a new heritage museum in Jeddah Historical District and a local children’s non-profit organisation.

This charity sale forms part of Saudi Arabia’s wider cultural transformation plans which aims to create a thriving cultural sector in the Kingdom.

The sale includes 42 works representing leading contemporary artists from Saudi Arabia. HRH Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud’s (Saudi Arabian, b. 1949), Where to from 1996 showing shapes in a coloured landscape with two figures shown from above pointing in opposite directions. It is expected to sell for around $150,000 / SAR 500,000.  Abdhlrahman Al Soliman’s (Saudi Arabian, b. 1954) The Andalusian Effect, a view of the dome of a mosque picked out in a vivid blue set amongst the walls of the city, is typical of his work which celebrates Saudi Arabian culture and heritage and is estimated at $24,000 / SAR 90,000. Abdullah Alshaikh (Saudi Arabian, b. 1936) was born in Iraq and is considered one of the Kingdom's modern art pioneers. His work reflects his interest in human emotions as portrayed in abstract shapes and forms as in Witnesses in the Desert 1 which is estimated at $100,000 / SAR 379,000.  

The former director of the Jeddah Centre for Fine Art and one of the first Saudi Arabian contemporary artists, Abdulhalim Radwi, is represented by Untitled 2 from 1992 depicting a stylised Jeddah city scape with towering minarets and buildings before a pink-toned desert landscape. Radwi is perhaps best known for his sculptures in the port in Jeddah and his auction piece is estimated at $40,000 / SAR 150,000.

Untitled, made with a print of an old Egyptian movie poster by Ayman Yossri (Saudi Arabian, b. 1966) has had much of the original advertising content removed by cutting traditional Islamic star-shapes to leave only the head of the glamorous female star. Best known for his tissue-box or Maharem series, Ayman Yossri again shows here his love of objects associated with drama and nostalgia, (estimate; $7,000 / SAR 27,500).

The work of other Arab artists is featured in the sale, including Assad Arabi (Syria, b. 1941) whose La passion de la soie from 2013 shows an intimate interior of musicians with a central female singer, the renowned Um Kulthoum. Shown alongside an oud and double bass player and depicted in rich acrylic colours, it is estimated at $40,000 / SAR 150,000. Untitled by Suleiman Mansour (Palestine, b. 1947) depicts a beautiful landscape of olive trees by one of the most distinguished Palestinian artists known for his iconic work of an old man carrying Jerusalem on his back. It is estimated at £35,000 / SAR 130,000. 

The distinctive calligraphy of Nja Mahdaoui’s (Tunisian, b. 1937) Walegh with lettering forming an intricate series of concentric circles in a variety of colours is estimated at $22,000 / SAR 82,000. Calligraphy in vivid blue and oranges is also a feature of Hussein Madi’s (Lebanese, b. 1938) oil estimated at $25,000 / SAR 93,000. Madi worked between Rome and Lebanon for many years and his work is part of prestigious museum collections around the world. Lebanese artist and poet Samir Sayegh (Lebanese, b. 1945) is one of the most important modernist artists of the Arab world and Waw is an example of his interest in the power of letters; the formalised Arabic symbol is formed in green and deep purple and picked out in gold leaf (estimate: $25,000 / SAR 93,000).

Through their various charitable activities, including works sold at the Dubai auctions, Christie’s in the Middle East has helped to raise more than $25 million for charity in the region since 2005.