Christie's is staging its first dedicated auction in Abu Dhabi, titled Mawasim: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, set for November 1 at the Abu Dhabi Edition hotel. The sale brings together more than 70 works by leading regional artists and marks two decades of the auction house's presence in the Middle Eastern art market.
Among the standout lots is Fahrelnissa Zeid's Composition, painted between 1948 and 1949, estimated at $500,000 to $700,000. The abstract work features interlocking passages of blue, red, yellow and orange. Another highlight is Mahmoud Said's 1952 Portrait de Princesse Fadia, depicting the daughter of Egypt's King Farouk I, carrying an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000.
Also featured is Paul Guiragossian's large-scale Noces (Wedding), from 1958-1959, nearly 2.4 metres wide and depicting a wedding scene with musicians and dancers, estimated at $300,000 to $500,000. More contemporary works in the sale include Ahmed Mater's photograph Golden Hour from his Desert of Pharan series, and Hassan Sharif's satirical painting Press Conference No 2.
The auction underscores Abu Dhabi's growing role as a hub for Middle Eastern art, a trend reinforced by institutions such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and the wider cultural development taking shape on Saadiyat Island. For collectors in the region, the sale offers rare access to significant modern and contemporary works without travelling to Christie's traditional sale venues abroad.