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The National
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Christie's all-star sale of Middle Eastern art features Nadia Saikali, Samia Halaby, Marwan and more
The Christie's auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art has returned with an all-star selection of works. They are being exhibited at Christie's Dubai from Saturday until the end of the online auction on May 8. The sale is a potent representation of the diverse practices shaping the region's contemporary art. There are works that represent Nadia Saikali's gestural abstraction, the kaleidoscopic dynamism of Samia Halaby, the rippling portraits of Marwan, the calligraphic experimentations of Mohamed Melehi, Malika Agueznay and Dia Azzawi, as well as paintings by Helen Khal that show her figurative beginnings, and the ethereal canvases she is particularly known for. Other notable figures featured in the auction include Inji Efflatoun, Kamal Boullata, Etel Adnan, Aref El Rayess, Laila Shawa, Paul Guiragossian, Nabil Anani, Fateh Moudarres and Yvette Achkar. 'What I'm really proud of is that a third of the auction is works by female artists,' Marie-Claire Thijsen, head of sale and a specialist at Christie's London and Dubai, says. 'We set out to highlight the female creativity across the region, both in the modern and contemporary periods.' Works with the highest estimates include Halaby's Water Lilies (2013), Charles-Hossein Zenderoudi's Eyn + Eyn (1970) and Mohammed Al Saleem's Desert Plants (1973). All three paintings are estimated to fetch between $100,000 to $150,0000. While the first two works are strong examples of the respective artists' work, Al Saleem's painting is particularly expected to hit a high price. The painting features a desert scene with emotive and textured depictions of palm trees and cacti across a layered ochre landscape. The dusk sky is made vivid with streaks of gold paint. 'We have seen a lot of demand for Saudi modernists recently,' Thijsen says. 'Al Saleem is one of the main godfathers of Saudi modernism. What is really interesting here is that you see this transition from his work being more naturalistic, and then becoming slightly more abstract when he moves through the '80s and the '90s.' The exhibition allows pairings of works that might not otherwise have come together in one space. This is the case with Al Saleem's work, which is juxtaposed against another painting inspired by the desert. Egyptian painter Gazbia Sirry's untitled work is full of drama, swirling with pinks and pale yellows with an almost violent intensity. The auction also has a dedicated section called Saudi Now! that features 12 works that create an interesting trajectory of art in the kingdom. It begins with the work by Al Saleem, as well as two paintings by Abdulhalim Radwi that show the artist's penchant for using Saudi cultural motifs in his compositions. The collection then features contemporary works, including Ahmed Mater's Illumination X-Ray diptych, Manal Al Dowayan's Suspended Together, Nasser Al Salem's God is Alive, He Shall Not Die and Moath Alofi's The Last Tashahhud. Christie's is bolstering its presence in Saudi Arabia. 'We announced last year that we are opening an office in Saudi Arabia,' Thijsen says. 'It is key to engage with a new generation of collectors in the Gulf by showing art that is representative for them.' This has been a focus for Christie's since it reprised its Dubai exhibitions in 2023. The auction house has been mindful of including Emirati artists in its sales, and veteran figures such as Mohammed Kazem and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim are represented. 'But we thought this time we'll do a specific Saudi section with the idea of highlighting the massive transformations that have happened in Saudi Arabia,' Thijsen says. 'We also wanted to show that this growth didn't come out of nowhere. The pieces by Al Saleem and Radwi, who were active in the '70s and '80s, really paved the way for the current generation of artists.' The Christie's exhibition of its annual online auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art has become a staple in Dubai's cultural calendar – offering a chance to see important works by celebrated figures as they go between collections. It also gives those considering a purchase a chance to see how they respond to the work in person. 'The relationship with an artwork is not only aesthetical. There is also the emotional approach,' Ridha Moumni, chairman of Christie's Middle East and North Africa, says. 'You can see a lot of paintings online or in a book, but it will never replace the emotional impact of an artwork when you see it in person. You see the technique, the brush strokes, the details. 'It's important to keep this connection between the collectors, the clients and the artworks,' Moumni adds. 'This is one of the reasons why it's important to have these displays.'
The National
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Weekly UAE museum and gallery guide: Beirut as a regional hub for modern abstract art and Sharjah Biennial
A slate of new exhibitions and events in the UAE are highlighting cross-cultural connections but in very different ways. From a show that shares how Lebanon was at a crossroads for abstract artists from across the Arab world to an examination of the poetry of resistance, which reveals how they echo beyond borders and with a universal timbre, here are a few exhibitions to see this week. A pioneering figure of abstract art in the region, Nadia Saikali's spotlight is perhaps long overdue. The Lebanese artist's work ranges across a variety of mediums and styles, despite them often veering towards abstraction. From her early gestural work to the line-based paintings and sprawling landscape canvases in the later stages of her career, Saikali's work is at the heart of a new show at Sharjah's Maraya Art Centre. Yet, the exhibition – co-organised with the Barjeel Art Foundation – opens up to feature works by her contemporaries, all of whom are women. The artists come from across the Arab world, but they all spent time reducing work in Beirut during the 1960s and 1970s. As such, Beirut becomes the star of the exhibition, showing how the city was a regional hub for artists. Saturday to Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday, 4pm-7pm; until July 13; Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah Shilpa Gupta's first solo exhibition in the Middle East is being held at the Ishara Art Foundation. The exhibition presents a large body of work, produced since 2006. The artworks, though ranging in medium, all have a central preoccupation in that they challenge the notions of border, terrestrial and political. Some drawings highlight works by poets from around the world who faced persecution, showing how their writings transcended demarcations. A room-filled installation, titled Listening Air, meanwhile, features songs of resistance, emanating from microphones that move across the space. Monday to Saturday, 10am-7pm; until May 31; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai Tunisian artist Karim Jabbari, whose practice involves light and calligraphy, is presenting a solo exhibition at Inloco Gallery. The pieces, created as part of his residency in Dubai, examine the importance of tradition in a contemporary world. The works show how poetry is a starting point for Jabbari's art as well. Several calligraphic pieces take cues from the Arabic poetry that Jabbari found in his father's library. The exhibition also features documentation of his light calligraphy pieces, showing how the artist engages with disparate traditions and cultures to create something idiosyncratic. The exhibition comes as part of Inloco Gallery's third season and includes an art intervention in Satwa, as well as performances by Jabbari and Emirati artist Khalil Abdulwahid. Monday to Wednesday, noon-7pm; Thursday to Friday, noon-8pm; Inloco Gallery, Dubai Sharjah's prestigious art event is back. It is showcasing 650 works by almost 200 artists, including 200 commissioned works. The biennial will be taking place under the title "To Carry", reflecting the memories and traditions we individually carry with us. The event is running across 17 venues in Sharjah, including locations in Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid and Kalba. The event opens on Thursday and will be running until June 15. It is curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Oz. The biennial is running in several locations across Sharjah. More information at
