Christie’s Abu Dhabi auction exceeds $8.9m with nine records

By Daniel Okafor

Christie’s first fine-art auction in Abu Dhabi realized more than $8.9 million on 1 November, with several works above $100,000 exceeding estimates and nine auction records. Christie’s said Mawasim, held at The Abu Dhabi Edition, marked 20 years since its first UAE auction in Dubai in 2006.

What led the sale?

Christie’s identified Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s Variations on the Hexagon (2006) as the top lot. The mirror mosaic panel sold for $844,800 after almost seven minutes of bidding, against an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000.

Christie’s said the panel was commissioned for the opening of the Jameel Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum. At $844,800, the result came in at more than three times the $250,000 upper estimate. The high estimate was not the last word.

Ridha Moumni, chairman of Christie’s Middle East and Africa, said: “It is a magnificent work of exceptional historical significance.” He added: “Farmanfarmaian is undoubtedly one of the most talented female artists in the region. This particular work, however, is especially spectacular.”

Christie’s reported the other leading results:

• Fahrelnissa Zeid’s Composition (1948-1949) fetched $524,800, while Endless Thoughts, painted in the late 1970s, sold for $486,400.
• Ali Banisadr’s Homo Deus (2018) and Faisel Laibi Sahi’s Baghdad Café (The Coffee Shop) (2016) each sold for $512,000. Sahi’s result set an artist record. Its six-metre length made it the largest work by the Iraqi painter sold at auction.
• Mahmoud Saïd’s Portrait de Princesse Fadia (Portrait of Princess Fadia)(1952) sold for $486,400.
• Paul Guiragossian’s Noces (Wedding), an oil-on-masonite work (oil paint on a hardboard support) created between 1958 and 1959, fetched $486,400 and set the artist’s record for the medium.
• Samia Halaby’s Yesterday (1978) sold for $358,400 and set a record for her medium. Christie’s called it a prime example of her work from the 1970s, when she developed her approach to geometric abstraction (nonrepresentational forms organized through geometry).

Which artists set records?

Christie’s announced nine auction records in total. Two were for work first shown at auction in 1973:

• Jellal Ben Abdallah’s Les Musiciennes (The Female Musicians) (1973) sold for $204,800, against an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.
• Juliana Seraphim’s Femme Fleur (Flower Woman) (1973) sold for $83,200, against an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.

Mawasim also marked the auction debut of Nabil Kanso, Rami Farook, Fatma Lootah and Afra Al Dhaheri.

What did the bidding signal?

Moumni described the modern and contemporary fine-art auction from the Middle East and North Africa as “the strongest results since 2015.”

He said: “It sends a very strong signal to the market and underscores the growing demand for art from the [region].” Moumni continued: “The results also demonstrate the significant presence of artists of Iranian origin in the market. We witnessed particularly spirited bidding for these artists, which was very exciting to see.”

Moumni said works by Emirati artists, including Najat Makki and Hassan Sharif, had “performed exceptionally well.” Makki’s Emirates of Love (2025) sold for $28,160. A painting from Sharif’s Press Conference series fetched $83,200.

Moumni said: “We were delighted to see works by all these UAE artists supported by both local and international collectors.” He continued: “There is still work to be done in further developing their market value, but the results were a truly wonderful surprise and a testament to the vitality of the UAE’s creative art scene.”

Who was in the room?

Moumni described the audience as a “healthy mix” of private collectors and institutional buyers. He said 30 per cent of participants were Generation Z or millennials, and several were first-time bidders.

“Thirty-seven per cent of participants were new to Christie’s, representing an encouraging expansion of our collector base,” Moumni said.

Why did Abu Dhabi matter for this auction?

Christie’s said the Sunday auction capped a week-long exhibition at The Abu Dhabi Edition. The exhibition presented the works featured in Mawasim, drawn from private and institutional collections. These included the Dalloul Collection, the Trad family collection in Beirut and the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah.

Christie’s traced its first UAE auction to 2006 in Dubai, when the city’s arts scene stood at a pivotal moment. New galleries and institutions were opening, and Dubai was preparing to host the DIFC Gulf Art Fair, later rebranded as Art Dubai.

Mawasim came during what Christie’s described as another landmark moment. The UAE capital was preparing to host its first Frieze in November, while the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi was gearing up for its December opening.

“It was particularly important for us to present this anniversary auction here in Abu Dhabi, a city that is home to some of the region’s most significant museums, with several more important cultural institutions set to open in the coming years,” Moumni said.

Abu Dhabi’s November Frieze and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s December opening will test whether this momentum lasts.