L to R: Samia Halaby, River Rapids, 2021, estimate £80,000–120,000; Saliba Douaihy, Untitled (Wadi Qannoubine series), 1980s, estimate £50,000–70,000
LONDON – Christie’s presents Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art: Online, an online sale of 62 lots bringing together works by leading modern masters and contemporary artists from across the Gulf, the Levant, Iraq, Iran and North Africa. Marking 20 years since Christie’s inaugural Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction in the United Arab Emirates in 2006, this season’s sale reflects the category’s continued depth, innovation, and global resonance.
Spanning generations and geographies, the sale traces the development of artistic practice across the Middle East and North Africa, from early modernist movements in Cairo and Baghdad to contemporary experimentation in Beirut and Doha. The works on offer encompass painting, sculpture, photography and works on paper, revealing the richness and diversity of the field.
Highlight Works Include:
Samia Halaby, River Rapids, 2021 (estimate: £80,000–120,000): A dynamic example of Halaby’s mature abstraction, River Rapids reflects the artist’s sustained exploration of movement, colour, and spatial rhythm. One of the leading figures in Arab abstraction, Halaby bridges gestural painting with systematic geometric investigation. Her pioneering contributions to digital art have been exhibited internationally, including in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s current exhibition, Samia Halaby: Kinetic Paintings.
Saliba Douaihy, Untitled (Wadi Qannoubine series), 1980s (estimate: £50,000–70,000): From the artist’s celebrated Wadi Qannoubine series, this work encapsulates Douaihy’s transition from the academic figuration under the tutelage of Habib Srour in Lebanon to the radical abstraction he developed during his years in New York. Sweeping curves, abstracted shapes and expanses of colour evoke depth, space and an enduring fascination with the Lebanese landscape.
Baya, Untitled, 1983 (estimate: £25,000–35,000): A self-taught Algerian artist whose work defied categorisation, Baya transformed scenes from daily life into richly imaginative compositions populated by female figures, flora, and fauna. Occupying a singular position within North African modernism, her work inspired generations of artists and intellectuals, including Pablo Picasso and André Breton. Baya’s importance will be further recognised with a forthcoming retrospective at Tate Modern in 2027.
Parviz Tanavoli, Freedom and Poet, 1970 (estimate: £70,000–100,000): A rare bronze from the 1970s, this sculpture belongs to Tanavoli’s acclaimed Poet series, one of the central themes within his practice since the early 1960s. Drawing on Persian poetry and Sufi mysticism, Tanavoli conceived the poet as a symbol of freedom, peace and spiritual introspection, translating literary and metaphysical concepts into sculptural form. The work was exhibited at Grey Art Gallery & Study Center in New York during the mid-1970s.
Mohamed Melehi, 64 Quadrattini (64 Little Squares), circa 1960s (estimate: £70,000–100,000): An important early exploration of geometry and the square motif, 64 Quadrattini was painted during the artist’s time in Italy where he was a key figure in Rome’s avant-garde scene. The painting embodies Melehi’s pivotal role in defining a new Moroccan visual language. As one of the founders of the Casablanca Art School, Melehi fused inspirations drawn from Moroccan craftsmanship, Amazigh textiles and Islamic art with international abstraction to develop a distinctly Moroccan modernism expressed through geometric forms, rhythmic compositions and dynamic waves.
Abdul Halim Radwi, Untitled, 2002 (estimate: £60,000-80,000): A remarkable work by the pioneering Saudi modernist, this painting originates from the artist’s estate and was exhibited in Contemporary Islamic Modern Art: For the World’s Peace in Marbella in 2002, where it was admired by His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Radwi’s work is celebrated for its vibrant synthesis of traditional architecture, folklore, and desert life with modernist abstraction.
Marie-Claire Thijsen, Head of Sale, Specialist, Christie’s London and Dubai, remarks: “This season’s sale reflects the continuing strength and international resonance of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, from pioneering modern masters to contemporary voices shaping the region’s cultural landscape today. We are particularly proud to present important works by leading female artists, including Baya, whose major retrospective at Tate Modern in 2027 marks a significant moment in the expanding global recognition of the category. As Christie’s marks 20 years since our first auction in the United Arab Emirates, the sale also underscores our longstanding commitment to artists, collectors and institutions across the region.” On the revised location of the sale, Marie-Claire Thijsen adds: “In light of the recent circumstances in the Middle East, Christie’s took the decision to relocate this online sale to London. We are delighted to present highlights from the auction on view at Christie’s headquarters in London this June.”
Exhibition Information
Christie’s London | 27 May -11 June
All information on openings available on christies.com
