Abu Dhabi Set for a Record-Breaking Art Exhibition
Abu Dhabi is poised to host the most valuable art exhibition ever staged by Sotheby’s in the Middle East this October. The two-day show, featuring six masterpieces valued at approximately $150 million, marks the auction house’s first public fine art exhibition in the United Arab Emirates. The event will be held at the private Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on Saadiyat Island, the emirate’s burgeoning cultural heart.
The exhibition includes works by some of the most iconic names in art history: Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Frida Kahlo, René Magritte, Camille Pissarro, and Edvard Munch. This prestigious gathering signals Sotheby’s deepening commitment to the region and serves as a prelude to its inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week in November.
Masterpieces from Celebrated Collections
Each of the six works has been sourced from major international private collections, with several having been absent from public view for decades. The selections include Munch’s “(St. John’s Night) (Midsummer Night’s Eve)” from American collector Leonard A. Lauder and paintings by van Gogh and Gauguin that until recently hung in the Chicago home of prominent philanthropists Cindy and Jay Pritzker.
According to Sotheby’s, three of the works have not been seen publicly for more than half a century, and none have ever been exhibited in the Middle East before. Following their debut in Abu Dhabi, the artworks will travel to London and Paris before returning to New York to be auctioned at Sotheby’s fall marquee sales.
A Strategic Milestone for the Region
The exhibition is being hailed as a watershed moment for the Gulf art market. “In recent months, Sotheby’s has staged a number of remarkable events in Abu Dhabi, but this exhibition represents a true milestone – our first ever public exhibition of fine art in this emirate; and the most extensive and valuable exhibition ever staged in the region by Sotheby’s,” said Katia Nounoi Boueiz, head of Sotheby’s UAE.
The landmark event underscores the strengthening ties between the auction giant and the UAE. This follows last summer’s strategic investment from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, ADQ, which acquired a minority stake in Sotheby’s. The move is part of a broader effort to cement the city’s status as a global hub for art and culture, leveraging its world-class museums and a growing community of international collectors.
