Sotheby’s today opened its first public fine art exhibition in Abu Dhabi, unveiling six masterworks valued at a combined $150 million.
The two-day display at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation is the most valuable exhibition ever staged by the auction house in the region.
The exhibition brings together rare works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch, René Magritte and Camille Pissarro. Each painting has long been held in celebrated private collections and none has previously been shown in the Middle East. Three of the six works have not been seen in public for more than half a century.
Vincent van Gogh, Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes), 1887
Among the highlights is a vibrant landscape by Edvard Munch, appearing from the collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of America’s leading art collectors and benefactors. It is shown in Abu Dhabi alongside significant works by van Gogh and Gauguin that until recently hung in the Chicago home of Cindy and Jay Pritzker. The Pritzker family is renowned for its cultural contributions, including the establishment of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, awarded to architects such as Jean Nouvel, designer of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Frank Gehry, architect of the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Also featured is a striking painting by René Magritte from the collection of Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum, American philanthropists recognised for their support of the arts, education and civic life. The inclusion of these works underscores the exhibition’s distinguished provenance and its significance within the wider art world.
The unveiling marks the first occasion that Sotheby’s has staged a fine art exhibition in Abu Dhabi. It forms part of the company’s growing presence in the Middle East and reflects its commitment to presenting major cultural events in the region.
Following the Abu Dhabi showing, the six paintings will travel to London and Paris before returning to New York. There, they will be offered at auction in mid-November, coinciding with the opening of Sotheby’s new headquarters in the Breuer Building on Madison Avenue.
The exhibition is open to the public free of charge on the 1st of October from 2pm to 7pm, and on the 2nd October from 10am to 7pm.
