Sotheby's Collectors' Week returns to Abu Dhabi
Najat Makki, A Woman's State of Being, 1988, estimate $30,000 - 50,000.
ABU DHABI.—
This December, Sotheby's is set to stage a major week-long auction series in Abu Dhabi, spanning the realms of fine art and luxury.
The second edition of Collectors' Week follows on from the historic inaugural series in December 2025. This year, the scope is even more ambitious, with the launch of Sotheby's first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi. Titled 'Breaking Ground', the sale is named in homage to the pioneering ethos of Abu Dhabi, where one of the most impressive cultural districts in the world has been forged from the ground up. The auction will offer works by the likes of Andy Warhol and Claude Monet, alongside leading figures of the Middle Eastern art world, with a spotlight on pioneering Emirati artists.
The auctions will be preceded by public exhibitions, events, panel discussions and masterclasses that will welcome collectors from the UAE and around the world, and platform distinguished experts, cultural figures and dignitaries from across the region and beyond. The preview exhibitions will launch simultaneously on 4 December, culminating in six auctions, with cars, jewellery, watches, high-performance bicycles and handbags going under the hammer on 9 December, followed by 'Breaking Ground' on 10 December.
The auctions will take place in the heart of Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi's world-class cultural destination, at the new Saadiyat Grove Experience Center - a stone's throw away from the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, as well as the Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum and the Abrahamic Family House.
"When putting together our first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi, we wanted to pay tribute to the emirate's position as a global destination for art, culture and collecting. Anchoring the sale are household names from both the international sphere and the Middle East, including a number of globally recognised Emirati artists. We also wanted to introduce names that may not be as familiar, but we felt would resonate with art lovers here, including a particular focus on women artists, some of whom are making their auction debuts." -- Yasmeen Gailani, Sotheby's Specialist & Head of Sale for Breaking Ground
A First Look at the Offering
Selected Highlights from 'Breaking Ground'
• Among the top lots is an Andy Warhol Ads portfolio from 1985, which was executed only two years before the artist's death and so serves as a retrospective of his fascination with glamour, fashion, film and celebrity.
• Also highlighting the sale are pieces by the visionary Emirati artists who led the charge for Contemporary art, including paintings by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and Hassan Sharif, both pioneers among the UAE's first generation of contemporary artists.
• A number of works carry direct resonance with the region's cultural history. Among these is a drawing by Christo of the Abu Dhabi Mastaba - a monumental, proposed permanent public artwork in the desert of Liwa, planned to be Christo and Jeanne-Claude's final project.
• Women artists are at the core of the auction, with artworks by Huguette Caland, Jadé Fadojutimi, Inji Efflatoun, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Najat Makki, Mona Saudi, Gazbia Sirry, Zarina and Etel Adnan.
• Working closely with artists and their estates, we are also introducing Nujoom Al-Ghanem and Nasser Al-Yousif to auction for the first time.
• Other artists from around the world include S.H. Raza, Fernando Botero, Salvo, Bernard Buffet, Paul Guiragossian, Farid Belkahia and Aref El Rayess.
Selected Highlights from the Luxury Auctions
• An auction dedicated to Cartier will offer some fifty watches from the legendary 'Shapes of Cartier' single-owner collection, which made records at Sotheby's auctions in Hong Kong and Geneva earlier this year. The selection includes a rare Twin Strap made circa 1970-1971. A few highlights will be on special display in Geneva from 5-7 November during Sotheby's Luxury Week at the city's Mandarin Oriental.
• An outstanding line-up of high-performance cars will be offered, including a selection of Ferrari models featuring the 2009 Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M, presented in its launch colours, which brings uncompromising open-top performance to the sale, and a Swiss-delivered 2004 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, which represents another defining chapter in Ferrari's modern performance story. The selection also includes a 2006 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1 HGTC, finished in the rare and elegant Gris Violet, and a 2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, standing out for its distinctive Ivory Cream colour. Both offer a more refined side of Ferrari, combining striking design with exceptional performance.
• Among the highly curated jewellery offering is a Fancy Brown-Orange rectangular brilliant-cut diamond weighing over 40 carats, a necklace adorned with a fringe of oval and cushion-shaped rubies and pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds, and a 10.51 carat crescent emerald and diamond pendant.
