DOHA.- Tonight Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Doha auction achieved the strong total of $8,006,625, solidly between pre-sale expectations of $6.2-8.5m. The sale was 84.6% sold by lot and records were established for 13 artists. The top lot of tonight’s sale was Anish Kapoor’s Untitled stainless steel work of 2009 which sold after extended bidding for $1,595,000 (est. $700,000-900,000*) – the highest price achieved for a work by the artist in the Middle East.

Bruno Vinciguerra, Sotheby's Chief Operating Officer, said: "Sotheby's success with Contemporary Art Doha speaks powerfully of the company's commitment to the Middle Eastern region. Our ambitious schedule of activities in the months leading up to this sale allowed us to significantly extend our international reach to clients and potential clients across a range of global venues and in a variety of ways. From our presence at Jeddah Art Week and during Dubai Art Fair earlier in the year, through our exhibition and lecture series in London this summer, our New York viewing of highlights in September, culminating in the exhibition this past week and sale tonight in Doha, we have been able to share with our clients a rich range of experiences and expand their appreciation of the variety of possibilities that Sotheby offers."

Lina Lazaar, Sotheby's Director, International contemporary Art, said : "We're extremely pleased with tonight's strong result, reflecting the demand for the artists we are honoured to have presented for sale in Doha. Our strategy to create a wider dialogue across the world through the selection of outstanding Middle Eastern and international contemporary artists has been well received. The enthusiastic bidding tonight demonstrates the appetite for the artists we had very much wished to introduce to our clients in the region for the first time, as well as the wonderful pieces by established artists. The auction offered an extraordinary opportunity for Sotheby's to work with an entirely new group of collectors, as well as clients whom we are delighted to welcome back from all four corners of the globe."

Aileen Agopian, Sotheby's Senior Vice President, International Contemporary Art Specialist, said : "Sotheby's International Contemporary Art team spent many months working with clients, building momentum for tonight’s sale through the wider awareness and appreciation for the wonderful range of cutting-edge artists offered. It was thrilling to see that translated into competitive bidding across the auction here in Doha tonight. Artists who are redefining the contemporary art scene - many of whom we're introducing for the first time in the region - attracted participation from 22 countries, and bidders drove prices to record levels for 13 artists** underscoring the truly international appeal of the artists presented in the sale, and the global platform that our Doha sale offers. We are particularly thrilled that Ali Banisadr’s exceptional work The Chase commanded bids from as many as 16 bidders from 10 different countries.”

Top lot of tonight’s sale, Anish Kapoor’s mirrored work in stainless steel, Untitled of 2009, attracted multiple bids and finally sold for the above-estimate sum of $1,595,000 (est. $700,000-900,000). This exquisite example of the artist’s ongoing investigation into the possibilities of spatial manipulation had attracted enormous pre-sale interest.

Damien Hirst’s beautifully constructed and flawlessly executed Tranquility fetched $845,000 (est. $1,000,000–1,500,000). Like the beating of butterfly wings, the canvas breathes life into the room. The title evokes both the tranquil state that is produced by being in the presence of such beauty.

The cover lot of tonight’s sale, The Chase by internationally acclaimed and highly sought-after artist Ali Banisadr was hotly contested by 16 bidders, eventually selling for $557,000 (est. $180,000-250,000). Drawing on both Eastern and Western artistic traditions, Banisadr’s work recalls both the startling complexity of Persian miniatures and the wide-ranging landscapes of the Flemish Old Masters.

The first video artwork ever auctioned by internationally acclaimed Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, Passage , fetched $269,000 (est. $200,000-300,000) tonight. Renowned for her evocative and cinematographic films that explore themes of feminism and Islamic culture, Shirin Neshat’s work is considered the most significant film installation of the artist’s career. Never before has any video artwork sold at auction in the Middle East, and this is the first time anywhere in the world that Neshat’s work has appeared at auction. This work has been extensively exhibited and editions are housed in the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A major retrospective of her work will be opening at Doha’s Mathaf museum in October.

A record was achieved tonight for Monir Farmanfarmaian, a pioneer within the contemporary Iranian art world, whose cutting edge mirror work Three Brothers sold for $233,000 (est. $70,000–100,000). A fusion of classical Persian Art and Iran’s traditional crafts techniques with a unique and modern aesthetic Farmanfarmaian’s artwork draws inspiration from classical Iranian culture and tradition.

Heaven’s Doors by Saudi artist Rashed Al Shashai tonight fetched $106,250 (est. $60,000-80,000). While the kingdom’s art scene previously lagged behind other artistic developments in the Middle East, cutting-edge Saudi art has finally found its way thanks to a new generation of pioneers who are pushing the trajectory of contemporary art in the country. Rashed Al Shashai’s monumental installations comment on the superficiality and lack of spirituality of mankind, which is questioned throughout his body of work. Reminiscent of stained glass cathedral windows, on closer inspection Heaven’s Doors references not only the spiritual but also the mundane.

Vesta by Nabil Nahas - Lebanon's most renowned abstract artist - attracted enthusiastic bidding and sold well above high estimate for $245,000 (est. $100,000–150,000).

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium
** Artists whose works were offered at auction for the first time are not included among the 13 records achieved tonight.