Bonhams, the international fine art auction house, held its seventh auction in the region on April 13th at One&Only Royal Mirage. Comprising of Orientalist Art and its first dedicated photography sale in Dubai, the success of the auction confirmed the market’s growing interest of such international works.

The auction floor was overflowing with regional clients and international advisors interested in the works of art and the debut of the genre.

“We were pleased to welcome Bonham’s clients from across the globe, back to The Royal Mirage this evening,” stated Jonathan Horwich, Global Director Picture Department. “We saw good results and increased levels of competitive bidding across the estimate range; and with the addition of online live-bidding this year, we saw even wider participation from International collectors than we have previously experienced.”

The Orientalist Sale included masterpieces from renowned European and American artists from the 19th and 20th Centuries. Highlights of the Orientalist Art sale included the Rudolf Ernst piece, “After Prayers,” for $456,000 and the Etienne Dinet, whose work entitled, “L'Arabe et son cheval,” also sold above estimates for $186,000.

“We were happy with the results of the sale, especially given the socio-political climate of the Middle East,” stated Taline Aynilian, Head of Orientalist Art at Bonhams. “It was great to see that the Middle East is still investing in buying cultural artifacts and that the buyers are still very much interested in the gems we bring to their doorsteps.”

This was not only an opportunity to view and purchase museum caliber works, from paintings to sculpture, but these pieces are of particular interest because they reflect the positive, accurate and intimate aspects of why Orientalism is so alluring to Westerners.

Top lots amongst the photography section were Persian artist, Shirin Neshat’s “Mystified” and an enormous seven-part photo collage by Lebanese artist Camille Zacharia’s “Cultivate your Garden,” both selling for $36,000 each.

“Bonhams is delighted with the success of the Photographs auction. It has not only confirmed the interest in the region for photography, but also for international works of art,” commented Guy Vesey, Regional Director of the Middle East for Bonhams.

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