Wed, Sep 9, 2020


Art & Auctions
Christie’s Mideast season moves online; 4 sales planned


Christie’s will host sales of watches, Middle Eastern Modern and Contemporary art, a special curated art sale as well as a charity auction to support Beirut across October and November. 

Due to the uncertain health situation, the auction house has moved its regular offering online this season.

The series of sales, overseen by Christie’s Dubai team, will include the most valuable online watch auction ever held with a pre-sale estimate of over $4 million and, for the first time, a special section within the Modern and Contemporary sale dedicated to Middle Eastern Design.

Caroline Louca-Kirkland, Managing Director Christie’s Middle East, commented: “We mark this autumn season with kickstarting a fresh strategy for the category, in alignment with the evolving and maturing regional market and focusing on strong quality works. As market leaders Christie’s is taking initiative in cultivating interest through strong teamwork and collaboration, with greater leverage from a regional and international standpoint. We will be infusing our traditional auctions with a design section and presenting a separate guest curated sale connecting the Middle East with other geographies.”

The auctions include:

We Are All Beirut: Browsing online from November 4 to 10; Bidding online: November 11– 24

Two weeks after the devastating explosion in Beirut city, Christie’s announced its charity auction “We Are All Beirut”. It has seen strong support from collectors and artists generously wanting to donate works. The auction will be a combination of contemporary art, design and jewellery.

Watches Online: The Dubai Edit: Browsing online from October 10-14; Bidding online: October 15 – 29

This online auction will represent the largest ever offered to the market in terms of value, which is in excess of $4,000,000. On offer are collectable watches ranging from modern to vintage, from Patek Philippe to F P Journe. The auction also includes an Important Private Asian Collection - Part 4 - with well-priced, modern ad contemporary watches.

Also, on offer is a selection of watches with Middle Eastern provenance such as Rolex Day-Date with Khanjar made for the Sultanate of Oman, Rolex Sky Dweller made for the UAE Ministry of Defense, Omega Seamaster with the portrait of Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain and an Omega Speedmaster made for the Jordanian Airforce, among others.

Middle Eastern Modern & Contemporary Art: Browsing online: November 4-10 November; Bidding online: November 11-24 November.

Christie’s celebrates its 15th sale season with a revisited approach to its traditional sale format, including a newly curated design section. Maintaining its strong calibre of modern art, it also is presenting a diverse selection of contemporary works. Strong modern works by Farid Belkahia and Sohrab Sepehri, are met with important works by Farhad Moshiri and Samia Halaby, reflecting the diversity of artistic talent, and the ever-changing and versatile tastes of an evolving art collecting community.

For the first time the auction will offer a section of Middle Eastern Design curated by the renowned architect and designer Viktor Udzenija, who’s studio is based in Dubai.

The Guest Curated Art Auction - Matters of Material: Browsing online: November 4-10 November; Bidding online: November 11-24

Guest curated by Dina Nasser-Khadivi an independent art advisor and Christie’s International Consultant, this sale will be presenting a selection of works by Contemporary artists from the Middle East, Latin America and Africa showcasing how media and materials can be used and recycled into powerful statements and works of art. A concept embracing innovation and multi-cultural connections, it will aim to continue supporting diversity in the market, this will be the first of a series of curated sales supported by Christie’s.





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