Masterpieces by Van Gogh, Kahlo, and more are coming to Abu Dhabi | Art in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is about to host one of its most remarkable cultural moments. From 1-2 October, the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation will showcase six masterworks by some of the biggest names in art history: Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch, René Magritte, and Camille Pissarro. Together, the pieces are valued at around $150 million, making this the most valuable exhibition Sotheby’s has ever staged in the region.

This is Sotheby’s first public Fine Art exhibition in the capital, and it’s a big one. None of the works have been seen in the Middle East before, and three haven’t been on public view anywhere for over half a century. After their Abu Dhabi debut, the artworks will continue their journey to London and Paris before heading to New York for auction at Sotheby’s newly opened headquarters on Madison Avenue.

Here's what you can see:

• Frida Kahlo’s El sueño (La cama) (1940) – painted during one of the most turbulent times in her life, it’s tipped to break records and could become the most expensive artwork ever sold by a woman artist.

• Vincent van Gogh’s Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes) (1887) – a rare still life of books, once shown at the landmark Salon des Indépendants exhibition in Paris. It’s one of only two such works still in private hands.

• Paul Gauguin’s La Maison de Pen du, gardeuse de vache (1889) – painted in Brittany at the time his unique style was truly taking shape.

• Camille Pissarro’s Bords de l’Oise à Pontoise (1872) – an Impressionist landscape that shows both pastoral calm and the signs of modern change with a railway bridge in the background.

• Edvard Munch’s St. John’s Night (Midsummer Night’s Eve) (1901–03) – an atmospheric Norwegian landscape once owned by Leonard Lauder.

• René Magritte’s Le Jockey perdu (1942) – a surreal scene of a solitary jockey in a dreamlike forest, one of only two known paintings from this important series.

  
  

  

The works come from some of the world’s most celebrated private collections, including pieces once owned by Leonard A. Lauder and the Pritzker family – whose architecture prize has honoured Jean Nouvel, architect of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Frank Gehry, designer of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.