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Sotheby’s Reveals Linup For Saudi Auction

Sotheby’s has revealed the lineup of works up for sale at the upcoming inaugural auction in Saudi Arabia.

Titled “Origins“, the two-day evening auction will open on February 8th. It will occur at the historic town of Diriyah, a UNESCO heritage site – though the exact location hasn’t been shared. Over 100 works would be sold in the auction. Before it, between February 1st and 8th, the works would be on public display at both enclosed spaces and open sites around Diriyah.

The artworks include works by Picasso and Warhol. There would be installations like one by James Turrell (est. $120k -$180k) and Sidle by Antony Gormley (est. 700k -$800k). Sotheby’s is also paying special focus to surrealist art. These include L’État de veille by Rene Magritte (est. $1 million -$1.5 million) and La Légende égyptienne by Paul Delvaux (est. 700k).

However, the auction isn’t just about Western art. The auction house said: “The auction offers one of the most iconic images in the world of modern Arab art: Louay Kayyali’s ultimate masterpiece, Then What?? (estimate: $500,000-700,000), which is anticipated to achieve a world record”. Another artist to watch out is Saudi artist Ahmad Mater, whose Illumination Diptych (Ottoman Waqf) can fetch $70k.

But artworks aren’t the only thing Sotheby’s is offering at the upcoming sale. The auction venue would feature stores for luxury bags, watches, and other merchandise as Saudi Arabia is a manufacturer of those. There would also be a lot of sports memorabilia going up on the auction block, including a watch worn by Olympics sprinter Yohan Blake (est. $1.5 million) and the jersey worn by Michael Jordan at the 1998 NBA playoffs (est. $1.2 million).