Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art

Celebrating 20 years since Christie’s inaugural Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction, this season’s online sale in London highlights the richness of artistic production from the Gulf, alongside iconic works by modern masters and contemporary artists from the Levant, Iraq, Iran and North Africa.

Rare examples by leading modern masters include Untitled by Abdulhalim Radwi, from the artist’s estate and exhibited in Marbella in 2002, where it was admired by His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Other highlights include 64 Quadrattini by Mohamed Melehi, an early exploration of geometry and the square motif; a striking 1970s canvas by Saliba Douaihy from a pivotal transitional period in the artist’s oeuvre; and Parviz Tanavoli’s exceptional bronze Freedom and Poet (1970), exhibited at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery & Study Center in the mid‑1970s.

The sale also presents a rediscovered group of works from the Mantoura family collection, originally shown in the 1976 exhibition Tattershall Castle Yacht in London, paying tribute to Palestine’s rich cultural heritage.

Strong female representation is led by River Rapids (2021) by Samia Halaby, alongside important explorations of abstraction by Lebanese modernists including Etel Adnan, Huguette Caland, Helen Khal and Nadia Saikali. The auction further features pioneering Egyptian modernists, including The Mountain and the Desert (1966) by Gazbia Sirry, and a striking portrait by Inji Efflatoun.

The Gulf Now section traces contemporary artistic practice across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with works by Mohammed Kazem, Ahmed Mater and Bouthayna Al Muftah.

Spanning generations and geographies, the auction reflects the depth, innovation and global resonance of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art.