Works by the current stars in Middle Eastern Modern and Contemporary art firmament, including, Zenderoudi, Sepehri, Moshiri, Moudarres, Guiragossian, Kayyali and Essaydi, will shine in Christie’s annual sale devoted to art — somewhat clumsily classified by the auction house — as: Arab, Iranian and Turkish, in Dubai on April 16th and 17th — and at Sotheby’s in Doha on the 22nd.

On the eve of Christie’s auction, artBahrain asked Michael Jeha, Managing Director, Christie’s Dubai, whether he felt that the MENASA market was growing at a healthy and sustainable rate and how he saw the evolution of its collecting base, to which he responded:

The lot with the highest ticket in the sale is described by Christie’s asa seminal piece by Iranian Farhad Moshiri (b. 1963) entitled Secret Garden (2009) which  is  one  of  the  few  works  that  depicts  the  artist’s self-portrait (estimate: $300,000-500,000).

A monumental painting by Syrian Modernist pioneer, Fateh Moudarres (1922-1999) dated 1960, represents a faceless crowd, stripped of their identity and alludes to the political events and social tragedies in the Middle East at the time it was painted.

Eerily prescient regarding events in Syria at present, one assumes it will attract a great deal of attention — both for its magnificent artistry — as well as for its foreshadowing and social commentary.

Christie’s “day” sale  on the 17th offers work by edgier and emerging artists and is a fun forum for beginning collectors to snap up works selected by Christie’s experts as “up and comers” for prices as low as US $3,000.

Chant Avedissian’s, Icons of the Nile, (2010), estimated at $1,000,000 to $1,500,000

Sotheby’s outing later in the month in Doha, includes perhaps one of the most expensive contemporary Middle Eastern works of art to cross the block.

The auction will be headlined by Ahmed Alsoudani’s astounding Untitled from 2011, estimated at $350,000-450,000 is a fascinating example of the artist’s more recent work. Alsoudani’s technical brilliance and astonishing powers of imagination are displayed to full effect within Untitled, in which a contorted mass of human and animal forms are thrown together in writhing, visceral conflict.

Another highlight is provided by the inclusion of Chant Avedissian’s Icons of the Nile, (2010), estimated at $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, is an exquisite example of his signature stencil technique. Magnificent in scope, it is the largest and one of the most complex works the artist has produced to date. A commanding portrait by Ayman Baalbaki, painted with remarkable expressionistic force, is featured alongside a stunning landscape by Mahmoud Said, considered to be one of the pioneers of modern Egyptian art. Le port de Marsa Matrouh is eloquently typical of Said’s opulent style, depicting an Egyptian Mediterranean city which the artist visited annually.

An example of Farhad Moshiri’s iconic Jar series is also included: Stone of Patience intriguingly juxtaposes traditional with modern Iranian culture, alluding to a popular Persian folk tale. These highlights, amongst a selection of other Contemporary works of the highest calibre on offer, truly display the exciting vitality and immense variety of the artists working in the region today, and we are truly privileged to present this group of works for sale.

- Laura Stewart