Sotheby’s Collectors’ Week returns to Abu Dhabi this December

Shweta Srikanth

11 minutes ago

2 min read

Sotheby’s Collectors’ Week returns to Abu Dhabi for a second edition this December. This year the auction house will host its first international fine art auction in the capital. The sale will feature works by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet, alongside pieces by some of the UAE’s pioneering contemporary artists.

Running from 4 to 10 December, the week brings fine art and luxury collectibles together across six auctions at Saadiyat Grove Experience Center. Public exhibitions open on 4 December, giving you a chance to see the works up close before the bidding begins. The luxury sales cover everything from Cartier watches and statement jewellery to handbags, high-performance bicycles, and Ferraris, with the fine art auction taking place on 10 December.

Titled Breaking Ground, the new fine art auction has a strong local connection. Alongside internationally recognised names, it features works by Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim and Hassan Sharif, two artists who helped shape the UAE’s contemporary art scene.

One of the standout pieces is Andy Warhol’s Ads portfolio from 1985, which draws on his fascination with advertising, fashion, film and celebrity. There’s also a drawing by Christo depicting his proposed Abu Dhabi Mastaba, a monumental public artwork planned for the Liwa desert that was intended to be the final project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Women artists feature prominently, too, with works by Huguette Caland, Jadé Fadojutimi, Inji Efflatoun, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Najat Makki and Etel Adnan. The sale will also introduce Emirati artist Nujoom AlGhanem and Bahraini artist Nasser Al-Yousif to auction for the first time.

If art isn’t your main interest, the luxury auctions on 9 December have plenty to catch your eye. The Shapes of Cartier sale features around 50 watches from a single-owner collection, including a rare Twin Strap watch dating to around 1970-1971.

The jewellery line-up includes a fancy brown-orange diamond weighing more than 40 carats, a necklace adorned with rubies and diamonds, and a crescent-shaped emerald and diamond pendant featuring a 10.51-carat emerald.

If you’re a petrolhead, keep an eye out for the Ferraris going under the hammer, including a 2009 Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M in its launch colours, a 2004 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale and a 2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in Ivory Cream. There are also dedicated auctions for handbags and high-performance bicycles.