Five most expensive Arab artworks sold in 2024

Paintings by Mahmoud Said, Aref El Rayess and Marwan fetched record prices at auctions

5. The Desert by Lebanese artist Aref El Rayess, painted in 1988. Photo: Christie's

4. Head by Syrian artist Marwan, painted in 1973. Photo: Christie's

3. A World of Petrol by Aref El Rayess. Photo: Sotheby's

2. Bi nur al-iman nara al-s'adah (In the Light of Faith, We See Happiness) by Saudi artist Mohammed Al Saleem, painted in 1990. Photo: Christie's

Vue De la plagea Cassata en Grece by Mohmoud Said.

Art from the Middle East experienced unprecedented growth this year. Proof of this is auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s dedicating several exhibitions and sales to Arab artists, spanning decades and a variety of mediums.

Some of the most expensive works were sold by Christie’s at its Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art auction in October, which included highlights from the Dalloul Collection, regarded as one of the most significant assortments of Arab art in the world. One work from the sale, by modern Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said, which had an estimated price of $470,000, fetched more than $1 million.

At a Sotheby’s sale in April, which paid tribute to Beirut, a painting by Lebanese modernist artist Aref El Rayess sold for more than $500,000. Here are the five most expensive sales of the year.

5. The Desert by Aref El Rayess ($487,620)

The Desert was painted after Aref El Rayess left his homeland of Lebanon for Saudi Arabia. Photo: Christie's

Considered one of the most important Lebanese modernist artists whose works span five decades and multiple mediums including painting, sculpture and illustration, El Rayess’s The Desert sold in October by Christie's.

The work, created in 1988, was part of El Rayess’s celebrated desert series, which he made after leaving Lebanon for Saudi Arabia due to the civil war. While this work and the series touch on themes of loneliness and isolation, reflecting El Rayess’ feelings after leaving his homeland, he also captured the essence and beauty of the desert landscape.

His stylisation of the dune and the clouds in combination with the soft yet vibrant colours not only portrays the changing light of the landscape, but he skilfully depicts its beauty, vastness and even a spiritual dimension of the desert.

4. Head by Marwan ($491,400)

Head by Syrian artist Marwan was part of a 1970s series and is believed to be a self-portrait. Photo: Christie's

This reported self-portrait of the celebrated Syrian artist Marwan Kassab-Bachi, known simply as Marwan, was painted in 1973 and sold by Christie’s at a record price for the artist as part of the Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale.

Belonging to a series from the 1970s, this large-scale, vertical painting depicts a stylised face emerging from the left side of the frame gazing serenely at the viewer. The features are depicted through a bold array of colours and expressive but sensual gestures.

This work and the series it belongs to is considered an important one in the artist’s oeuvre. It acts as a bridge from his earlier works of surrealism and figuration, where viewers see one of his first experimentations of using a particularly complex technique of morphing faces into images of landscapes and eventually, later in his career, focusing on abstraction.

3. A World of Petrol by Aref El Rayess ($565,694)

A World of Petrol by Aref El Rayess was first displayed at the 1974 Baghdad Arab Art Biennale. Photo: Sotheby's

This is a highly symbolic and political piece by El Rayess and was sold by Sotheby’s. The work was part of A Love Letter to Beirut: Arts and Culture, 1960s to 2020s, an exhibition and auction that showcased Lebanon’s cultural heritage and its influence on Arab artists.

Combining symbolism, expressive realism and leaning towards abstraction, El Rayess explores the impact of petroleum on Arab countries. He depicts both the prosperity and destruction brought by the oil industry, through various symbols and images. In the work, El Rayess incorporates folkloric and mystic motifs where influences from his time living in Senegal are referenced in the African-inspired masks as well as his use of geometric shapes and tribal colour palettes.

In the foreground, a body of liquid, reminiscent of petrol, flows across the lower section of the painting, with an outstretched red arm holding a fire torch in the foreground. There are many dual meanings the viewer can extrapolate from these images, including hope and liberation as well as control and power. This work is particularly significant as it was displayed at the 1974 Baghdad Arab Art Biennale, the first Arab Art Biennale, and the first in the Iraqi capital.

2. Bi nur al-iman, nara al-s'adah by Mohammed Al Saleem ($819,000)

Bi nur al-iman, nara al-s'adah by Mohammed Al Saleem is an example of his style that he named Horizonism. Photo: Christie's

This work by the pioneering Saudi artist was painted in 1990 at a pivotal moment during his career. It was also sold by Christie's in October as part of the contemporary sale.

Al Saleem is credited as one of the founders of Saudi Arabia’s modern art scene, with his work fusing abstract and figurative techniques while bridging the gap between contemporary visual dialogue within traditional and heritage motifs.

The English translation of this work is "In the Light of Faith, We See Happiness", which suggests an exploration of themes that include spiritual enlightenment and joy derived from religious beliefs. Al Saleem reinterprets the Saudi landscape, stylising the horizon of the desert and replacing it with Arabic calligraphy.

The painting also exemplifies Al Saleem’s style which he called Horizonism. Through this style, Al Saleem gave the Saudi landscape a meditative quality while experimenting with calligraphic elements and creating a visual language that fuses tradition and modernity.

1. Vue de la plage a Cassata en Grece by Mahmoud Said ($1.09 million)

Vue de la plage a Cassata en Grece is one of the last works Mahmoud Said painted before his death in 1964. Photo: Christie's

Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said painted this in 1964, months before his death aged 67. It was also part of Christie’s Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale and is the most expensive sold at auction by an Arab artist this year. It is widely considered to be his masterpiece.

Said combined his influence and appreciation of the techniques of the Old Master Paintings of Europe with his use of light influenced by Egypt as well as other Mediterranean countries he often visited, such as Lebanon and Greece. The English translation, "View of the beach in Cassata in Greece", indicates as such.

This unique combination of melding influences and styles offered Said the freedom to create his own artistic language, which was characterised by his use and mastery of composition, colour and light. These three elements are very much present in this work.

It blends western artistic techniques with his Egyptian sensibility, producing a simplified scene with a decorative composition that is rich in colours and light.