Saudi artists feature in Sotheby’s ‘20th Century Art/Middle East’ auction

British-Iraqi artist Athier Mousawi's 'Mother and Son' is set to go under the hammer. (Photo courtesy: sothebys.com)

Farid Belkahia, Bestiaire, oil and pigments on wood, 1964.

Shakir Hassan Al Said, Orchard of Knowledge, oil on canvas, 1955.

Dia Azzawi, Untitled, oil on canvas, 1978.

• Sotheby's is hosting a sale of 20th Century Middle Eastern art in London
• Works by Saudi artists Maha Malluh and Ahmed Mater will go under the hammer

LONDON: Works by well-known Saudi artists Maha Malluh and Ahmed Mater will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction of 20th Century Middle Eastern art in London on April 24.
Arab News spoke to Sotheby’s consultant Mai Eldib to learn more about the much-anticipated sale. Eldib is a huge fan of Malluh and noted that for those who grew up in Saudi Arabia in the 80s and 90s, her work “Food for Thought,” depicting cassette tapes of religious sermons encased in wooden bread-baking trays, will have particular significance.
The minds of this generation were “baked” with these ideas, Eldib observed.
“The work is delivering a message in a very clever way — and the message is very relevant to the social dialogue in the region today,” she added.
Ahmed Mater’s striking “Evolution of Man” — in which a petrol pump “evolves” over five images into an x-ray of a man holding a pistol to his own head — will also be auctioned. The piece is expected to fetch between $8,500 to $10,000.
“This is one of the most recognized images in contemporary Saudi art,” Eldib said. “It is very much a statement piece for any collector.”
Some of the most beautiful and emotionally resonant works in the sale are by the Syrian artist Louay Kayali.
“Kayali is one of the Syrian modern masters. If you are trying to acquire a comprehensive Arab modern collection, you must own a Kayali. He is the father of Syrian modernity and a very important artist,” said Eldib.
The three Kayali works in the sale come from the estate of the late Mrs. Pearl A. Baker, whose 40-year career as a diplomat with the US State Department included posts in Saudi Arabia and Libya. It was during a trip to Syria in 1963-1964 to visit her friends in the Foreign Service that she met Kayali, who at the time was painting portraits for the UN personnel in Damascus.
According to her personal memoirs, Baker commissioned Kayali to paint her own portrait (Lot 59) for just $50. The piece is expected to sell for between $5,700 to $8,500 at the auction. In addition, Baker mentions having bought a painting of the artist’s niece (Lot 58), who was 10 years old at the time, which she proudly hung in her living room in Minneapolis.
Other works up for grabs at Sotheby’s auction include “Minotaur,” by Iranian artist Bahman Mohasses — sometimes called “The Persian Picasso” — whose “Requiem Omnibus” fetched $836,265 at this event last year; Mahmoud Said’s 1937 painting “Adam and Eve” (described by the auction house as “seminal”); and “Bestiare,” by Moroccan modernist Farid Belkahia.