PUBLIC EXHIBITION & ONLINE AUCTION Middle Eastern Contemporary Art Market Comes to London

The Auction Room is the only London-based auction house to conduct auctions exclusively in the Contemporary Middle Eastern market and the first to bring the market entirely online, with other houses holding Middle Eastern auctions in Dubai or Doha. Therefore, it will target a wide audience, ranging from established to young collectors and first-time buyers, for whom London is a key centre for the arts, and who enjoy transacting through online platforms.

The Auction Room’s specialist for the sale, Janet Rady, has commented "we are very excited to be holding Middle Eastern auctions online for the first time, with the unique element of a physical preview exhibition in London. In recent years there has been a huge surge of interest in the region and we are delighted to be filling a gap in the current market. With estimates ranging from £1,000 to £60,000, the auction provides the perfect opportunity for a variety of collectors from all parts of the world to participate."

Well-known and up-and-coming Arab and Iranian artists are featured, including: Ahmed Alsoudani, Lalla Essaydi, Diana Al-Hadid, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Ramin Haerizadeh, Hayv Kahraman, Shirin Neshat, Ali Shirazi and Soheila Sokhanvari. A selection of works will be included from the critically acclaimed exhibition: Unveiled: New Art from The Middle East held in 2009 at the Saatchi Gallery, London.

Many of the works confront the political and social issues of the artists’ native countries with a clarity and bravery which, in several cases, has resulted in exile or arrest, whilst they also draw clear influence from and take great pride in their county’s artistic heritage and legacy of decorative arts.

Here are some of the Highlights from the Exhibition

Parviz Tanavoli

Est: £3,400 – 3,800

Lot 1 / Parviz Tanavoli, (b. 1937, Iran), 'Heech', 2011, Silkscreen on paper, 70x50 cm, Edition: 1/30 / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Ali Shirazi

Est: £8,000 – 12,000

Lot 8 / Ali Shirazi, (b. 1960, Iran), 'Untitled', 2011, Acrylic on canvas, 200x200 cm / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi

Est: £9,000 – 11,000

Lot 32 / Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi (b. 1968, Iran), 'Bismillahi Rahim' (In the name of God), 2012, Oil and silver leaf on canvas, 190x150 cm / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Saleh Al Shukairi

Est: £3,000 – 5,000

Lot 23 / Saleh Al Shukairi, (b. 1977, Oman), 'Haoaz 1', 2012, Acrylic on canvas, 170x170 cm / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Soody Sharifi

Est: £5,000 – 7,000

Lot 34 / Soody Sharifi, (b. 1955, Iran), 'Courtly Love' from the Maxiature Series, 2011, Archival inkjet print on board, 152x101.5 cm, Edition 1/3 / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Farnaz Rabiejah

Est: £2,000 – 3,000

Lot 2 / Farnaz Rabiejah, (b. 1981, Iran), 'Precious!', 2010, Signed (on rear leg of stand), Bronze, Unique piece, 52x28x40 cm / Courtesy of the Auction Room

Hussein Madi (Madi)

Est: £3,400 – 4,500

Lot 7 / Hussein Madi (Madi), (b. 1938, Lebanon), 'Untittled', 1998, Iron, 25x26x20 cm / Courtesy of the Auction Room

ABOUT THE AUCTION ROOM

The Auction Room, was launched this year by George Bailey, previously Managing Director of Sotheby’s, and Lucinda Blythe, who also worked at Sotheby’s for 17 years. The Auction Room combines the expertise and authenticity of a traditional auction house with the accessibility, efficiency and cutting-edge technology of the online format. The online catalogue for this auction is live and the clients can place Lot Alerts: to remind them when to bid on their preferred lots on the evening of the Live Online Auction (September 19, 7pm: London time); or place Absentee Bids immediately: when the client sets the maximum amount that they would like to offer for a lot and the computer will bid on their behalf, so that if they are the only bidder they will buy the lot at the reserve price. Both browsing and bidding are possible on any desktop, laptop, android, ipad or iphone. Click on the link to get more information on How to Bid.