LONDON.- The African and Middle Eastern Art market has enjoyed significant growth in interest in recent years which showed with little sign of waning at the recent new auction of Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art, run by specialist Janet Rady who joined Olympia Auctions in January this year. The sale on 11th May included property from the collection of the late Dr Mohammed Said Farsi who has been one of the most influential figures in the development of Middle Eastern visual arts and its cultural centres in recent decades. His collection garners interest from collectors and institutions alike as it comprises some of the finest examples of Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art works with a specific focus on art from Egypt.

All but two from his collection of twenty-five works of Egyptian artists sold, with works by Hamed Nada (1924-1990), Ragheb Ayad (1892–1982) and Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar (1925-1966) selling well overestimate, mostly by many thousands. Highlights included ‘Villagers relaxing’ by Ragheb Ayad (1892-1982) pictured left, selling for £25,000 (estimate: £3,500 - £5,500) and ‘The African wizard’ by Hamed Nada (1924-1990) which sold for £20,000 (estimate: £1,000 - £1,500).

Interest came from all over the world, in particular Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Elsewhere in the sale, another Egyptian modernist artist Tahia Halim’s ‘Women Braiding Hair’ pictured above from a Private London collection sold for £32,500 and Moroccan artist Jilali Gharbaoui (1930-1971) ‘Abstract Composition’ sold for £2,000. Iraqi paintings were also in demand attracting collectors new to the field, such as the painting 'Art Lesson in Ammiriya Shelter’ by Betool Al Fekaiki (b. 1952), which sold for £4,000. Works by the acclaimed Syrian artist Sabhan Adam (b. 1972) also drew attention, evidencing the breadth and strength of the market.

Head of Sale Janet Rady said ‘I much enjoyed my first Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art Auction at Olympia Auctions. It was pleasing to see the interest in the property from the Dr Mohammed Said Farsi collection, which included highly regarded Egyptian artists and I was delighted that paintings and sculpture from Morocco, South Africa, Syria and Iraq also drew keen bidders. Olympia Auctions is unique in combining both African and Middle Eastern lots in the same sale, which provides an opportunity to learn more about collecting works from other areas and to expand collectors' interests. I am looking forward to our next auction taking place at the end of October 2023.’

All prices mentioned include BP.