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Sotheby’s to Hold Exhibitions of Collected Items in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

ABU DHABI —Sotheby’s will hold an exhibition of major collecter’s items, which will go under the hammer at its coming international art, jewellery, diamond and watch auctions in London, Paris and Geneva, in Abu Dhabi on Thursday and another in Dubai on Friday, the organisers said.

The annual sale of Islamic art by Sotheby’s in 2002 fetched only Euro 3.6 million, but it reached Euro 20 million in 2007.

Among the Paris auction’s highlights on view is L’Aouche L’Aouche, by French artist Jacques Majorelle (estimated at $400,000-550,000), which will spearhead the travelling highlights from the Paris sale on October 29.

Sotheby’s Geneva sale of magnificent jewels on November 19 will include a sumptuous array of spectacular signed jewels and fine gemstones.

Among the finest of the diamonds in the forthcoming Geneva auction and on exhibition in Abu Dhabi is a magnificent and rare fancy deep blue, flawless briolette diamond, weighing 10.48 carats (estimated at $6-9 million), and an extremely rare fancy red modified rectangular-cut diamond weighing 1.92 carats (estimated at $ 2.5-3 million).

A Patek Philippe Celestial wrist watch, white gold, mechanical movement, circa 2003, Switzerland, is estimated at $150,000-200,000, will be sold in Geneva on November 19.

Speaking to the Khaleej Times regarding the relevance of the art in the Middle East, Claude Piening, senior director of the 19th Century European Paintings Department at Sotheby’s, said, “Most of the paintings are from the second half of the 19th century and they are documents of the period when photography was in its early stages, so many of the artists travelled from Europe to the Middle East.

“Today we can regard these paintings as living documents.”

anwar@khaleejtimes.com