The Official Christie's Press Release



RELEASE: CHRISTIE’S CROWNS AUCTION WEEK IN DUBAI WITH PART II REALISING $2,260,250, 24 OCTOBER 2012

CHRISTIE’S CONCLUDED ITS 13TH SALES SEASON IN THE REGION REALISING A COMBINED TOTAL OF $5,900,350/AED21,665,204 AND ESTABLISHING 29 NEW WORLD AUCTION RECORDS FOR MIDDLE EASTERN ARTISTS.

Christie’s concluded its 13th sales season in the region realising a combined total of $5,900,350/AED21,665,204 and establishing 29 new world auction records for Middle Eastern artists. Tonight’s Part II sale followed the success of last night’s auction and realised $2,260,250 /AED8,295,117, selling 88% by value. In a busy and animated room, this evening’s sale offered works by 16 artists who had never before been represented at auction, all of which sold within or above their high estimate.
Top lot of the evening was lot 106 Louay Kayyali’s The strange Lady Arlette Anhoury, painted in 1962, realising $170,500 /AED625,735 after a fierce bidding battle between room and telephone.
Over the past six years Christie’s in the Middle East has supported a number of charities by offering works of art at auction, raising a combined total of $20 million. This evening we are delighted to have added another $370,000, which will support two further charities: Caspian Art Foundation, which aims to help young students from the region to complete their postgraduate studies at the University of the Arts London; and The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts which was founded in 2004 by HRH The Prince of Wales, and which teaches the practical skills of the traditional arts.  
The two lots offered from the private collection of Robert Douaihy to fund the building of the Saliba Douaihy’s gravestone in Ehden, Lebanon raised $106,000 against a low pre-sale estimate of $40,000.
“The October 2012 sales season has demonstrated again the depth of this market and the continuously growing interest in the arts. With 41 young artists represented for the first time at auction in 2012, and with most of them being sought after in the auction room, we continue to lead in the region by offering the most exciting sales platform with the best international reach. We would like to express our thanks to the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia, the Farjam Collection, HRH Princess Wijdan M. Al-Hashemi of Jordan and the galleries, all of whom donated works to support the two charities tonight. We look forward to the next sales at Christie’s Dubai, which will be held on 16 and 17 April 2013,” commented Hala Khayat, Specialist of Middle Eastern Art.
OVERVIEW 2012

APRIL 2012
OCTOBER 2012
PART I
$4,016,300
AED14,751,870
$3,640,100
AED13,370,087
PART II
$2,386,525
AED8,763,320
$2,260,250
AED8,295,117
SALE TOTAL
$6,402,825
AED23,515,190
$5,900,350
AED21,665,204
SOLD BY VALUE
91% for Part I
93% for Part II
96% for Part I
88% for Part II
SOLD BY LOTS
85% for Part I
88% for Part II
86% for Part I
80% for Part II
NEW RECORDS
4 for Part I
18 for Part II
5 for Part I
24 for Part II
ARTISTS FIRST TIME AT AUCTION
25
16
COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN AUCTION
11 for Part I
12 for Part II
13 for Part I
14 for Part II
TOP LOT
Mahmoud Saïd, Marsa Matrouh
Selling for $602,500
AED2,212,983
Mahmoud Saïd, Pêcheurs à Rosette, selling for $818,500
AED3,006,350
Related Sale Sale 8060
Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art Part II 
24 October 2012
Dubai


About Christie’s
Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in 2011 that totaled £3.6 billion/$5.7 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 450 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery. Private sales totaled £502 million / $808.6m in 2011, an increase of 44% on the previous year.

Christie’s has a global presence with 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, and Hong Kong. More recently, Christie’s has led the market with expanded initiatives in growth markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits.

Complete catalogue available online at www.christies.com or via Christie’s Mobile, iPhone, iPad and Android apps.

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CHRISTIE'S AUCTION OF MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
ARAB, IRANIAN & TURKISH ART

24 OCTOBER 2012, 7:00PM JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS HOTEL, DUBAI, UAE


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Six lots donated by 7 artists and their galleries will be sold to benefit Caspian Arts Foundation. These will be auctioned off on October 24th at Christie's Modern & Contemporary Arab, Iranian & Turkish art sale in Dubai. 

For any information on these pieces send an email to events@caspianartsfoundation.com. 

This is the first time these artists' works will be sold at an international auction. Funds raised will go to benefit Caspian Arts Foundation and the scholarships that will be awarded in 2013. 



AYAD ALKHADI  At The Beginning
Acrylic, pen, charcoal and pencil on canvas
72 x72in. (183 x183cm.)
Executed in 2012

Alkadhi escaped Iraq in 1994 and settled in California but his work is dominated by the effect of the war described by the artist as “the emotional arc by which one compares all other experiences….”. Here the contrasting bright and dark colours and the distorted and monstrous shapes reflect the artist’s internal struggle as he relives the atrocities witnessed in his homeland.
DONATED BY THE ARTIST AND THE LEILA HELLER GALLERY, NEW YORK

                                        
SHOJA AZARI & SHAHRAM KARIMI   Spring  (from the Silence series)
Arcylic on canvas with video projection
50 x 89in. (127 x 226 cm)
Executed in 2007-2008, this work is number one from an edition of three

From the Silence series, this is one of four video paintings representing the seasons – a collaboration between these two lifelong artist friends. Abstract views of a lake are depicted here with subtle movements of wind, water and rain suggested by the projection of a mirror image onto the painted canvas, bringing the flat surface to life.
DONATED BY THE ARTISTS AND LEILA HELLER GALLERY, NEW YORK



SHIRAZEH HOUSHIARY  untitled
Signed and dated 'Shirazeh Houshiary' 2007 (on the reverse) 
Mixed media 
15 ¾ x 15 ¾ in. (40 x 40 cm) 
Executed in 2007

The main characteristic of Houshiary’s much sought-after paintings and drawings are that they are intentionally barely visible - emerging from and melting into the black or white backgrounds. The artist explains that her work ‘comes and goes: sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. The universe is like that – everything is in a state of flux’. She acknowledges the influence of Sufism and 13th century Persian mystic poetry in her work.
DONATED BY THE ARTIST AND THE LISSON GALLERY, LONDON


HADIEH SHAFIE   11580 Pages (detail)
Acrylic, ink and paper with printed and hand-written Farsi
30 x 30 x 3 ½ in. (76.2 x 76.2 x 9 cm)
Executed in 2012

In this work, individual strips of paper marked with the word eshghe, (love or passion), have been delicately rolled to create miniature scrolls. Shafie’s work is inspired by the Sufist meditative prayer of the heart known as ‘dikhr’, where a single word is repeated. With only one work ever offered by the artist at auction, Shafie’s works are highly sought-after.
DONATED BY THE ARTIST AND THE LEILA-HELLER GALLERY, NEW YORK


ALI BANISADR  Divine Wind
Signed and dated 'ALI BANISADR 12' (lower right)
Signed and dated 'Ali Banisadr 2012 (on the reverse)
Oil on linen
30 x 36in. (76.2 x 91.4 cm)
Executed in 2012

Through the use of a bright palette and large brushstrokes, the artist evokes his chaotic memories of displacement and war. Originally from Tehran, a young Banisadr left the country with his family to settle in the United States where he now lives and works. He captures the brutality of the war in this broken and fragmented composition. Banisadr’s works have never been auctioned before, except for charity and, as he produces very few works, his works are rare.
DONATED BY THE ARTIST AND THADDEUS ROPAC GALLERY, PARIS



POURAN JINCHI  Morning 06
Signed and dated 'Pjinchi 2009' (lower right)
Waxed charcoal and pencil on Rice paper
18 x 18in. (45.7 x  45.7 cm)
Executed in 2009

“What would a prayer look like if you were asked to draw it? I visualise the spiritual fulfilment of prayers and then translate that into aesthetic creations to see whether they relay what prayer could mean.” (Pouran Jinchi). Jinchi’s work is deeply rooted in her Persian to produce harmonious abstract compositions where the works become platforms for the act of prayer.
DONATED BY THE ARTIST AND THE THIRD LINE GALLERY, DUBAI




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