Best of Arab artworks to go under the gavel

A number of art pieces by Saudi artists will be auctioned in Jeddah on Sunday. Arabian Wings is the first Saudi organization to launch publicly and officially an auction of contemporary art pieces.
Arabian Wings launched the first auction dedicated to contemporary arts in Jeddah in early December 2011 in collaboration with Sunaidi Xpo, a leading company in event management.
Artworks included lithograph painting of Rembrandt, known as the Prince of Light, alongside several scriptures, antiques and artworks of Saudi Artists — Dia Aziz Dia, Hisham Benjabi, Mohammed Siam, Najlaa Felemban, Mohammed Bahrawi, Mohammed Al Rubat and Zuhair Tola.
The first session of the auction was a home run in all respects, which spurred virtually everyone to enter into the Saudi market either through developing new art auctions or new galleries dedicated to contemporary arts in Jeddah.
Its exhibition will be marked by artworks of important Arab artists through display of 72 contemporary artworks that are considered the acme of artworks produced in the Arab world as well as a set of transcendent and mesmerizing artworks. On the top of this list of artworks sits the masterpiece of Khaled Bin Afif ,”Not for Sale,” which fueled a heated controversy in the Arab media, alongside several artworks ranging from drawings, photographs, bronze sculptures to signed prints from well-established artists like Wajih Nahle, Saud Mahjoub, Bakr Shaykhun, Ahmed Keshta, Hassan Meer, Fatma Lootah, May Al Saad and Mohammed Abu Al Naga.
The inaugural prices of such breathtaking artworks are set in the range of $1,000 to $30,000 to strike a balance between the value of the exhibited work at a fair and reasonable price and the boost that artists get in terms of receiving substantial recognition in the world of art as well as seeking to motivate the Saudi collector to attend art auctions and satiate his or her thirst for art through purchasing and being keen on seizing such opportunity in every auction session organized by Arabian Wings.
Founded in 2006, Arabian Wings supports young artists in all fields of art, and promotes Saudi art throughout the world. It has become a distinguished organization in the Kingdom and has organized several exhibitions and supervised several art awards. The group has established The Gallery, which has become one of the most important art galleries in Saudi Arabia. Arabian Wings organizes art seminars, workshops and training courses.