Christie’s fourth sale of International Modern & Contemporary Art, to be staged in Dubai on 30 April 2008, includes a carefully curated section of 30 works by some of the most exciting international and Western artists including Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana and Anish Kapoor, which span several important periods. With estimates ranging from $10,000 to $1 million, the international and Western art pieces are collectively expected to fetch in excess of $3 million. This auction follows Christie’s third sale of Contemporary Jewels and Watches in Dubai, to be held at the on 29 April 2008 (please see separate press release).
“Since May 2006, Christie’s three groundbreaking sales of International Modern and Contemporary Art have brought international and Western works of art to the Middle East that were previously not available to clients in the region. Christie’s remains the only auction house to offer Western and international art in the Middle East, and the extremely strong results to date indicate the huge appetite for this art in the GCC and beyond,” said Dina Amin, International and Western Art Specialist for the sale
“We are delighted to have established a sponsoring partnership with Credit Suisse who is supporting the events around the auction for the third time”, said Michael Jeha, Managing Director, Middle East. “With the backing of Credit Suisse as one of the leading global providers of financial products and services in Investment Banking, Private Banking, and Asset Management, Christie’s is proud to present our most exciting sale yet.”
Highlighting the international and Western section of the sale is Robert Indiana’s (b. 1928) iconic work Love, 1966-1999 (estimate: $1,000,000-1,500,000) from his acclaimed LOVE series. Indiana created his first LOVE sculpture in 1966 in an edition of six and the works were quickly purchased by museum collections. He continued creating small editions of LOVE works in aluminum, Cor-ten steel, bronze and stainless steel and the present example, conceived in 1966 and executed in 1999, is made from polychromed aluminium. Christie’s holds the world record for a LOVE sculpture sold at auction, $3,513,000 achieved at Christie’s New York in November 2007.
Andy Warhol’s (1928-1987) global appeal to people of all ages and cultures makes his works of art extremely collectable. His prices have been rising steadily over the past ten years in an industry where continuous demand for iconic works outstrips supply. Christie’s sale boasts a number of superb examples including a unique Dollar Sign, 1982 (estimate: $100,000-150,000) and Shoes, a classic Warhol image on screenprint with diamond dust (estimate: $60,000-80,000), executed in 1980.
Completing the international and Western section of the sale is Anish Kapoor’s (b. 1954) ethereal and luminescent Untitled, 2000 an acrylic and gouache on paper executed in 2000 (estimate: $30,000-50,000) and a grouping of works by Shirin Neshat’s (b. 1957) highlighted by her captivating Whispers, 1997 (estimate: $80,000-120,000).
These exciting works are offered as part of the International Modern and Contemporary Art sale, a 198 lot auction which is expected to fetch in the region of $11 million. The sale will be characterized by an outstanding selection of large scale and rare works by sought-after Arab and Iranian artists than ever previously offered in the Middle East region and beyond, as well as these superb international and Western art works (please see separate press release for further information).
“Once again Christie’s LIVE™ will enable collectors and interested parties around the Middle East and the world to enjoy the look, sound and feel of this exciting sale in Dubai from their personal computer, as well as participate in them,” concluded Michael Jeha, Managing Director, Middle East.
Christie’s auction of International Modern and Contemporary Art will be conducted at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel on 30 April 2008 at 6.30pm.
Christie’s sale of Contemporary Jewels and Watches takes place at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel on 29 April 2008 at 6:30pm.
Viewing is open to the public from 2pm on 27 April 2008 onwards.
