A watershed moment for Saudi contemporary art arrived this weekend as Safeya Binzagr’s Coffee Shop in Madina Road (1968) shattered auction records, selling for $2.1 million at Sotheby’s “Origins II” sale in Riyadh, the highest price ever achieved for an artwork sold at auction in the Kingdom.
The pioneering Saudi artist’s masterwork not only set a new benchmark for Saudi art but also established itself as the third-most expensive Arab artwork ever sold at auction, a testament to Binzagr’s singular contribution to the region’s artistic heritage.
Sotheby’s Origins II Auction Records
The hammer fell at $1.65 million before premium, nearly doubling the previous record for a Saudi artist at auction. The result signals a dramatic shift in how the global art market values the Kingdom’s modern masters, artists whose groundbreaking work has long deserved international recognition.
Staged during the opening week of Riyadh’s Contemporary Art Biennale, “Origins II” brought together 62 works spanning modern and contemporary periods, attracting collectors from over 40 countries. The evening’s total reached $19.6 million, surpassing pre-sale estimates and bringing the combined results of both “Origins” auctions to more than $32 million.
Rise of the Saudi Modern Art Market
The real story of the evening was Saudi art itself. All nine Saudi works offered found buyers, collectively achieving $4.3 million, well above expectations, demonstrating a robust appetite for the Kingdom’s artistic legacy.
Mohammed Al-Saleem’s untitled 1989 work sold for $756,000, three times its estimate, while his Flow (1987) reached $630,000. The auction also introduced Mohamed Siam and Dia Aziz Dia to the international market, with their works selling for $94,500 and $226,800, respectively.
Beyond Saudi borders, the sale set new auction records for Egyptian artist Ahmed Morsi and Sudanese artist Abdel Badie Abdel Hay, reflecting broader momentum across the Arab art world.
Picasso and Warhol in Riyadh Auction
International blue-chip names added further gravitas to the evening. Pablo Picasso’s Paysage commanded $1.6 million, becoming the second-most valuable artwork ever auctioned in Saudi Arabia. Works by Roy Lichtenstein from the artist’s personal collection, Andy Warhol’s Disquieting Muses (After de Chirico), and pieces by Anish Kapoor all found new homes.
Approximately one-third of the lots were acquired by buyers based within the Kingdom, a significant indicator of growing local collecting culture and institutional confidence.
The Future of Saudi Arabia’s Art Ecosystem
The results arrive at a pivotal moment for Saudi Arabia’s art ecosystem. Many works by the Kingdom’s modernist pioneers have remained largely unseen since the 1970s, their historical importance undervalued by international markets, until now.
With Riyadh asserting itself as a regional cultural capital, bolstered by major biennales and expanding institutional infrastructure, the message from “Origins II” is unmistakable: Saudi art is experiencing a renaissance, driven by global recognition and homegrown passion in equal measure.
For Safeya Binzagr, a trailblazer who spent decades documenting Saudi life and tradition through her distinctive visual language, this record is more than a market milestone. It’s a validation, a legacy, and a long-overdue celebration.
