Including the 1st Major - And the Highest Valued - Work by Damien Hirst Ever Exhibited in the UAE Outstanding Works by Ali Banisadr, Ayman Baalbaki, Monir Farmafarmian & Havv Kharaman The 1st Major Installation Work to Come to Auction by Abdel Abdessemed International auction house Sotheby’s is delighted to announce its public exhibition in Dubai from Tuesday 18th- Thursday 20th March 2014 (10am-8pm daily) of Contemporary art by both Middle Eastern and International artists, to coincide with Art Dubai. Highlighting this exhibition is an outstanding work by internationally acclaimed artist Damien Hirst, which represents a much-anticipated first public display of one of his major works - the highest-valued work by the artist - in the UAE. The exhibition, which will be held at DIFC Atrium, Level 2, Gate Building 5, Dubai, UAE, will present highly sought-after masterpieces by some of today’s most celebrated artists from the region, including Ali Banisadr, Ayman Baalbaki, Abdel Abdessemed, Monir Farmafarmian and Havv Kharaman. These works will be offered for sale at Sotheby’s Doha auction on 24th April 2014.
Lina Lazaar, Sotheby’s Director, International Contemporary Art Specialist, said: “Following last year’s record-breaking sale of Arab and Iranian and International Contemporary Art in Doha - which achieved the highest price for a work of art by any living Arab artist - we are extremely excited to be staging an exhibition in Dubai of works that will be offered in our April 2014 sale in Doha. In response to the demand from both our Middle Eastern and International clients, we have sourced a group of artworks of the highest calibre.” Aileen Agopian, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President, International Contemporary Art Specialist, continued: “The selection showcases the diversity of the artistic styles that Middle Eastern artists are working in today, alongside signature pieces by world-renowned international artists including Damien Hirst. The artists represented in the exhibition are some of the most sought after of their generation and the display of their outstanding works will make a distinct contribution to an exhilarating week of events that will take place as part of, and surrounding, Art Dubai.” Damien Hirst’s most famous subject is often considered to be the fight between life and death, and Hirst's butterfly works are a testament to his ability to celebrate the complexities of the human experience by combining his most famous concepts into one canvas. Tranquility (illustrated above, est. $1,000,000-1,500,000) is a beautifully constructed and flawlessly executed work that has captured the manifestation of the most subliminal fear in human existence: that of death. Like the beating of butterfly wings, the canvas breathes life into the room. The title evokes both the tranquil state that is produced by being in the presence of such beauty as well as the state of the butterflies themselves.
Internationally acclaimed and highly sought-after artist Ali Banisadr was born in Iran in 1976 and his work is heavily influenced by his childhood experiences as a refugee of the Iran-Iraq war. His work is dominated by large-scale fantastical abstract landscapes that convey something of the chaotic violence he witnessed as a child. Drawing on both Eastern and Western artistic traditions, Banisadr’s work recalls both the startling complexity of Persian miniatures and the wide-ranging landscapes of the Flemish Old Masters. The effect of this technique is vividly rendered in his outstanding painting The Chase (est. $180,000-250,000), where the juxtaposition of meticulous detail with looser brushstrokes creates a mesmerizing whole that draws the viewer in to Banisadr’s complex and deeply personal world.
Following his 2013 exhibition at MATHAF in Doha, and his 2012 show at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, Sotheby’s is delighted to offer Klan by Adel Abdessemed (dating from 2007, est. $200,000-300,000). A brilliant example of his utterly unique artistic language that can be considered one of his most notable works. Klan is a dazzlingly conceived work of art that can be enjoyed on a purely aesthetic level as well as a symbolical humiliation of the original Klu Klux Klan. Ten nose cones of varying sizes - each adapted from the front tip of a plane - cluster in an approximately circular formation on the ground, personified through the application of circular black ‘eyeholes’ at the centre of each cone. In Abdessemed’s skilful hands, the nose cones are elevated from purely functional objects to a level of extraordinary beauty and ingenuity. Fusing elements of the historical past with vitally contemporary concerns and methods, Klan is a truly masterful work, one that deserves to be recognised as being of key importance within Abdessemed’s extraordinary oeuvre.
Three Brothers (est. $70,000-100,000) is an infusion of classical Persian Art and Iran’s traditional crafts techniques with the unique and modern aesthetic of Monir Farmafarmian, a pioneer within the contemporary Iranian art world. A source of great inspiration and reverence for the current generation of Middle Eastern artists, Farmafarmian’s artwork draws inspiration from classical Iranian culture and tradition. Her unique blend of traditional and avant-garde creates an elegantly distinctive style as in this exemplary work where the artist has readapted reverse-glass painting, Khatam kari (inlaid marquetry) and Aineh-kari (mirror mosaics) - both defining decorative features of Persian stately homes and palaces - to create a breathtakingly modern geometric mirror triptych. Monir constructs a uniquely modern and refined aesthetic by combining traditional Islamic craftsmanship with a highly contemporary delivery, creating an explosion of kaleidoscopic visual harmony.
The elegantly fluid movement strikingly apparent within Blue Wave (est. $70,000-100,000) has the distinct skill and uniqueness of the internationally acclaimed master of calligraphy, Nasrollah Afjei. By constantly challenging the preconceived boundaries of calligraphy through trial and experimentation, Afjei creates flawlessly fresh work. Practising for over 27 years, Afjei believes calligraphy offers a universal language which does not necessarily have to be read to be understood, the energy which encompasses his works are universally communicative and emotive. Appealing to primal emotions his works are applicable to all audiences. Afjei utilises the written word, like an engineer; the angles in his scripts are precisely thought-out to create a complex myriad of various shapes.
Havv Kharaman’s body of work reunites eclectic sources of inspiration, including traditional Japanese prints, Art Nouveau, Persian miniature painting and fashion imagery. In Ironing (est. $30,000-40,000) we are confronted with Kharaman’s signature subject and continuous focus, the female form. Her ethereal female character dwells in seclusion, ironing an orientalist textile whilst contemplating her ambiguous existence in a sense of stifled despair. The theme eloquently expressed via this work is that of the social issues faced by women within the Middle East. Kharaman explores this idea with mesmerising subtlety and an elegant graphic approach. Through engaging with complex subject matters, Kharaman manages to imbue her work with a captivating grace and beauty that exert a classical and timeless feel. Her innovative style has astonishing impact, consequentially opening an avenue for contemporary dialogue concerning a subject which has so far been considered taboo within the Middle East.
Nabil Nahas is Lebanon's most renowned abstract artist, having established himself in the New York art circles via his unique play of texture and colour, his oeuvre subsequently gained an enthusiastic following within the more recently developed Middle Eastern art scene. His most prominent works are his coral-textured fractal paintings, which are created by a dense layering of acrylic paint texturised with powdered pumice, which is then pigmented with vivid colours; this method is brilliantly employed in the surface of Vesta (est. $100,000-200,000). Nahas’s works offer an organic quality which is unusual within the sphere of contemporary abstract art; his works are a reflection of nature and childhood memories of indigenous landscapes. Nahas embraces the inconsistencies of the natural world’s geometry, translating it to an illustrious art form to be revered and celebrated.
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Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in eight different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art department, as well as Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).
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Founded in 1976 to provide independent brokerages with a powerful marketing and referral program for luxury listings, the Sotheby’s International Realty network was designed to connect the finest independent real estate companies to the most prestigious clientele in the world. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. In February 2004, Realogy entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Sotheby’s, the operator of the auction house. The agreement provided for the licensing of the Sotheby’s International Realty name and the development of a full franchise system. Affiliations in the system are granted only to brokerages and individuals meeting strict qualifications. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC supports its affiliates with a host of operational, marketing, recruiting, educational and business development resources. Franchise affiliates also benefit from an association with the venerable Sotheby’s auction house, established in 1744. For more information, visit www.sothebysrealty.com or contact Eric Roche, Director of International Development and Sales in Dubai, eric.roche@dubaisir.com.
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