AL-Monitor Riyadh: Sotheby's first ever auction in Saudi Arabia
This week, Sotheby’s will stage its first ever live international auction in Saudi Arabia.
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Marking a historic moment for the Gulf nation, top artworks by Saudi and international artists are on offer alongside some very luring one-of-a-kind luxury goods. This week we guide you through the highlights of the Sotheby’s sale, introduce you to a restaurant in Riyadh serving local Najdi cuisine and acquaint you with the work of street photographer Sarah Alansary documenting scenes in old Riyadh and other aspects of the kingdom.
Leading the week: Sotheby's stages first auction ever in Saudi Arabia
An untitled oil on canvas painting by Saudi artist Abdulhalim Radwi painted in 1984. Selling for an estimated $150,000-$200,000. (Courtesy of Sotheby's)
A historic moment will take place in Saudi Arabia this week with Sotheby’s staging the first ever live auction in the kingdom. On Feb. 8, the New York-headquartered auction house will bring the hammer down on around 100 lots in an unprecedented event in Riyadh marking the first ever international auction in the Gulf nation’s history.
The two-part evening sale will take place in the historic town of Diriyah on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. Diriyah is the original home of the House of Saud, Saudi’s royal family, and includes the 300-year-old At-Turaif UNESCO heritage site, the first capital of the Saudi dynasty.
The auction, titled “Origins,” will present a range of Sotheby’s global offerings in the categories of fine art and digital art as well as luxury goods, including jewelry, watches by Richard Mille, Rolex and Audemars Piguet, coveted Hermes handbags and sports memorabilia from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan — presenting goods for both new and established collectors. In terms of art, there will be works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Wassily Kandinsky. Others include Antony Gormley’s “Sidle” estimated at $700,000-$900,000, a James Turrell’s light installation going for $120,000-$180,000, the late sculptor Alexander Calder’s “Haute Couture” installation, estimated at $700,000-$900,000, and “AMOR” by Robert Indiana going for around $220,000-$280,000.
In the lead-up to the sale on Feb. 1-8, the offerings in “Origins” will be showcased in a free exhibition open to all in Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace.
The art exhibition coincides with Diriyah Season, the annual themed festival that celebrates the history and cultural heritage of Diriyah through a range of events and experiences as well as high-end dining merging Saudi and international cuisine on Bujairi Terrace.
Date: Feb. 1-8
Location: Bujairi Terrace
Find more information here.
Word on the street: Aseeb
(Courtesy of Aseeb)
One of Riyadh’s most popular restaurants for Saudi cuisine, Aseeb, offers a dish typical of the central region of Najd for those new to Saudi fare and local Saudis craving to indulge in their Najdi favorites. While the venue is grand, it isn’t formal. Decor is very much local Saudi style, with many local Najdi references in the detailing such as on the carpets, textiles and wooden accents. In terms of dishes to try, indulge in Kabsa, a traditional Saudi rice and chicken dish, and red jareesh, which consists of cracked wheat, meat or chicken and yoghurt with the addition of crushed tomatoes providing it with a beautiful red color and texture. For dessert, there’s a delicious cheesecake made with dates and tiramisu to round the menu off with some international hits.
Location: Alyasmin neighborhood, Riyadh.
Find more information here.
Riyadh diary
“The Ground Day Breaks” (2024), an installation by Saudi artist Muhannad Shono. (Courtesy of the artist)
Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations
The first traveling group exhibition of Saudi contemporary artists will open at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMOCA) in Riyadh’s Jax district on Feb. 24 and will run until May 24. The exhibition presents works by 17 well-known Saudi artists from various generations and regions who specialize in different artistic practices. On view are paintings and installation and video works that reflect Saudi Arabia’s recent past and present and cultural traditions. The exhibition, organized by the Museums Commission, debuted at the historic Paço Imperial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2024. Following the Riyadh exhibition, the show will be presented later this year at the National Museum of China in Beijing, marking the 25-year anniversary of the establishment of Saudi-Chinese diplomatic relations.
Date: Feb. 24 - May 24.
Location: SAMOCA, Jax District
Find more information here.
Authenticity and Modernity at Hafez Gallery
This exhibition, which coincides with the second edition of the Islamic Biennale in Jeddah, and runs until March 26, presents works that simultaneously celebrate Saudi heritage and contemporary society. The exhibition draws its inspiration from the vision of the late Saudi pioneering artist Abdulhalim Radwi, one of the founding figures of the modern art movement in the kingdom who championed the philosophy of “Authenticity and Modernity,” employing it as a guiding principle for his artistic practice. Through his approach he strove to create bridges between his country’s heritage and ideas of renewal. Participating artists include Hmoud Al Attawi, Mahdi Al-Jeraibi, Misht Studio, Mohammed Alghamdi, Reem Alnasser and Suliman El-Salem.
Date: Through March 26
Location: Hafez Gallery, Jeddah
Find more information here.
Tracing Lines of Growth: Lina Gazzaz
This solo exhibition of works by Saudi artist Lina Gazzaz, who is also showing in “Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations,” runs until March 25 and presents the artist’s otherworldly installations comprising delicate organic forms made from palm leaves — the artist’s primary medium — that strive to capture the passing of time and the transformation of natural elements. The works express fragility, melancholy and strength inspired by mankind’s journey of existence. The artist weaves red threads through each work to recount ideas revolving around the continuity of growth, with each line aiming to showcase a different dimension of existence. In these works, Gazzaz artfully balances representation of resilience, fragility and transformation.
Date: Through March 25
Location: Hafez Gallery, Jeddah
Find more information here.
Book of the week: “Salman’s Legacy”
This book by British Saudi author Madawi Al-Rasheed, a professor of social anthropology, traces the reign of King Salman of Saudi Arabia when he began his rule in 2015. Rasheed presents the many challenges the king faced, from falling oil prices to regional and geopolitical turmoil and changes in the Saudi leadership. A crucial read, the book explores an era of great changes amid myriad socio-political, regional and international upheaval and debates whether Salman’s policies have saved Saudi Arabia from more dramatic upheaval as a new era for the kingdom dawns.
View from Riyadh: Sarah Alansary
An exterior view of a building in Riyadh captured in the otherworldly style of photographer Sarah Alansary (Courtesy of Sarah Alansary)
A Medina native, this street photographer has for many years captured daily or what is considered ordinary life in Saudi Arabia with an otherworldly sense of beauty and sensitivity. From cityscapes and architecture to street scenes, Alansary’s images present other views of the kingdom that we may not easily see. Through her Instagram page @riyadh.documented viewers can relish in her fascinating and beautifully shot images of old Riyadh.
By the numbers
- There were 36.84 million internet users in Saudi Arabia at the start of 2024, when internet penetration stood at 99%, according to DataReportal.
- Saudi Arabia was home to 35.10 million social media users in January 2024, accounting for 94.3% of the total population.
