A selection from the Al Zayani Middle Eastern art collection sold for an impressive $2.9 million at a Sotheby’s auction in London on March 24.

Testimony of a Journey: The Al Zayani Collection, owned by Bahraini art collector and patron Abdulrahman Al Zayani, featured over 80 pieces by 20th-century modern and contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Prior to the live auction, the entire collection was showcased by Sotheby’s from April 20 to 25 at London galleries as part of its Islamic, South Asian, and Middle Eastern week.

Top lot of the sale by Iraqi artist Shakir Hassan Al Said, which sold for $482,000. Another notable work was Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said’s ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ which sold for $232,000.

According to Sotheby’s, the Al Zayani collection was “conceived with a great deal of passion and an exceptional eye for the most accomplished artists from the region,” and was “one of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art to come to the market in recent years.”

Emirati art eco system

Abdulrahman Al Zayani’s collection was largely acquired via Dubai's thriving galleries and art fairs. The collector himself acknowledges the vitality of the Emirati art ecosystem, stating that he is ‘proud to witness and be a part of that evolution, living in a region that is now becoming one of the cultural hubs of the world.’

Overall, the sale was a success, with many of the works exceeding their pre-sale estimates. The strong demand for Middle Eastern art at the auction is a sign of the growing interest in the region’s art and culture in the international art market.

Arab News: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2292781/lifestyle and Sotheby’s https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-al-zayani-collection-unveils-a-personal-history-of-middle-eastern-art

Source: Arab News