Everything to Know About Christie’s Modern Middle Eastern Art Auction

Christie’s online auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art is open for browsing through May 8th. The auction features 69 works from across the Gulf, Levant, North Africa, Iraq, and Iran, with media spanning painting, photography, sculpture, and works on paper. Leading the sale is pioneering artist Samia Halaby’s 2013 painting ‘Water Lilies’, estimated between USD 100,000 and USD 150,000.

This year, more than a third of the auction's lots are by women artists. Joining Halaby are Etel Adnan, Helen Khal, Huguette Caland, Tala Madani, and Tagreed Darghouth. Additionally, the dedicated ‘Saudi Now!’ section features 12 pieces by Saudi artists, including Ahmed Mater and Manal AlDowayan as well as younger artists working out of the JAX district in Riyadh.

Works by North African artists include late-career pieces by Mohamed Melehi, whose wave motifs reflect the Casablanca School’s push for locally-rooted abstraction. Other featured names from the Maghreb include Malika Agueznay, Mahjoub Ben Bella, Khaled Ben Slimane, and Hassan Hajjaj. The sale also presents highlights like ‘Eyn + Eyn’ by Charles Hossein Zenderoudi and early examples from Marwan’s ‘Head’ series.

“The art market in the Arab and Islamic world is among the most dynamic globally,” said Dr Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Christie’s MENA. “With rising investment in the cultural sector—particularly from the Gulf States—artists are gaining greater visibility and reaching broader audiences. The development of the visual culture is also underscored by the growing demand for modern masters, including a remarkable generation of pioneering female artists.”

Christie’s first launched Middle Eastern art sales in Dubai in 2006.