Christie’s Marks First Abu Dhabi Fine Art Sale with 20th-Century Showcase
As global auction houses increasingly look to the UAE, Christie’s will exhibit three multi‑million‑dollar artworks ahead of its first fine art sale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
The showcase will include William Kandinsky’s Betonte Ecken (1923), which goes under the hammer with an estimate of $60million–$80 million. Courtesy Christie’s.
Christie’s Marks First Abu Dhabi Fine Art Sale with 20th-Century ShowcaseSave to My Ocula
Hot on the heels of Sotheby’s announcement of its first fine art sale in Abu Dhabi, Christie’s has revealed plans to showcase three multi-million-dollar works from its upcoming New York evening sale in the UAE’s largest emirate this weekend, alongside its own inaugural fine art auction.
The works are Wassily Kandinsky’s Betonte Ecken (1923), painted during a key moment in the emergence of abstract art and estimated at $60million–$80 million; Mark Rothko’s red, pink and white Untitled (1968), estimated at $10million–$15 million; and Pablo Picasso’s Tête de femme (1939). Estimated at $12million–$18 million, the portrait appears to merge the identities of the artist’s lovers, Dora Maar and Marie-Thérèse Walter.
The three works are on display at the Abu Dhabi Edition Ballroom until 1 November, before going under the hammer in New York City on 17 November. In addition to these artworks, Christie’s will display “a curated selection” from its private sales.
Both displays come ahead of the auction house’s first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi: MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, which will take place this Sunday. A statement from Christie’s described the sale as recognising the federal capital of the UAE as “an important new chapter shaped by its international outlook, cultural ambition and ability to convene collectors and artistic communities from across the region and beyond”.
Two decades since the auction house’s first Dubai sale, MAWASIM (meaning “seasons” in Arabic) features 70 works spanning nine decades, bringing together artists from across the Middle East and North Africa with several distinct perspectives on history, culture, identity and transformation.
Among the lots on offer are Fahrelnissa Zeid’s Composition (1948–1949), painted on the cusp of the decade that established her international reputation and estimated at $500,000–$700,000; Faisel Laibi Sahi’s 2016 acrylic work Baghdad Café (The Coffee Shop), a rich composition of faces, instruments and drinks, and Mahmoud Saïd’s Portrait de Princesse Fadia (Portrait of Princess Fadia) (1952), which depicts the youngest of King Farouk I and Queen Farida of Egypt’s three daughters.
Christie’s has described the sale as celebrating a “new season” for the auction house in the Middle East, as well as reflecting on “the vibrant ecosystem of artists, collectors, galleries and institutions that continues to shape the region’s artistic future”.
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The sale will take place against a backdrop of increasing unrest in the Middle East, but is also part of a growing focus on the region for the art world, with Frieze Abu Dhabi due to launch on 19 November and Art Basel Qatar set to open to VIPs on 26 January 2027.
The latter announced the lineup for its second edition earlier this week, with 82 galleries from 37 countries and territories set to feature, responding to Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi’s theme of “between”. While some big names—including Hauser & Wirth and Pace—will not return for the 2027 event, more than 30 galleries will be taking part for the first time, and more than a third of participants operate gallery spaces in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA).
This month also marks the launch of a year-round market development programme for Art Basel Qatar, which will offer workshops and masterclasses to support between 30 and 40 new and emerging collectors.
