A new date on the regional art calendar
Sotheby's will stage its first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi on December 10, expanding its presence in a city with a growing cultural profile. Titled "Breaking Ground," the sale will take place at the Saadiyat Grove Experience Center on Saadiyat Island, a day before the planned opening of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The auction is part of Sotheby's Collectors' Week, which also features sales of cars, jewelry, watches, bicycles and handbags on December 9. The fine art sale currently includes 21 confirmed lots, with estimates ranging from $6.54 million to $9.08 million in total.
Among the leading works are Andy Warhol's Ads (1985), estimated at $2 million to $3 million, and Claude Monet's Prunes et Abricots (1882-85), estimated at $2 million to $2.6 million. The selection also includes works by Emirati contemporary artists Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and Hassan Sharif, alongside women artists such as Huguette Caland, Jadé Fadojutimi, Fahrelnissa Zeid and Etel Adnan.
Sotheby's says it expects to add more works before the sale. By bringing international and regional artists together, the auction may help broaden the audience for art in Abu Dhabi and strengthen the city's role in the global art market.
