The first-ever Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week is set to smash records before it even opens, with a staggering $1 billion worth of rare artworks, cars, jewellery and watches being brought over for the event.
Hosted by Sotheby's auction house in conjunction with Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the event will run from December 2-5, and is being staged as the most valuable auction to be held in the region.
Collectibles at auction
Over four days, there will be sales of rare cars, watches, jewellery and even real estate worth an estimated $150 million, that includes such exceptional items as one of only five Birkin bags gifted to actress Jane Birkin by French luxury house Hermes; the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond ever discovered; and four high-performance racing bikes from Italian manufacturer and four-time Tour de France winner Colnago.
There is also the first complete set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 watches to ever go under the hammer, as well as a Zaha Hadid-designed property in Austria and another on the French Rivera.
Given the event is running alongside Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, naturally there will be exceptional opportunities for car enthusiasts, including a world-first chance to own the chassis of the new 2026 McLaren Formula One team car months before it is publicly revealed. Another ground-breaking concept, the Triple Crown Project, sees Sotheby’s and McLaren Racing unite to offer three as-yet-unveiled and unraced competition cars.
Rare art on display
Accompanying the auction will be a major fine art exhibition that allows visitors to enjoy remarkable works such as the “finest sketch” by Dutch artist Rembrandt to ever go under the hammer, and Dame mit Facher (Lady with a Fan), regarded as the final portrait by Gustav Klimt.
The famous Guennol Lioness will also be part of the exhibition. A Mesopotamian limestone sculpture measuring less than 8cm in height, it remains the most expensive antiquity ever sold at auction, having gone under the hammer in 2007 for $57 million.
Also present will be Banksy's Girl Without Balloon, which famously self-destructed at auction in 2018 and was then renamed Love is in the Bin, while works by Piet Mondrian and Salvador Dali round out the collection, making this an exceptional opportunity for art lovers in the capital.
Jewellery aficionados can enjoy an exhibition of exceptional gems, which includes a necklace by American jewellery house Harry Winston, as well as both the largest flawless diamond and the largest deep green diamond in the world.
“Sotheby’s is delighted to extend our commitment in the Middle East with our first-ever Collectors' Week,” said Charles F Stewart, Sotheby's chief executive. “The UAE has rapidly become a global centre for art, luxury and culture, and we are honoured to present a world-class line-up of auctions, panels and masterclasses.”
Noora Al Foulathi, head of Abu Dhabi Retail, said that the inaugural Collectors’ Week is a “milestone that reflects our city’s rising cultural influence”, adding that the presence of so many pieces of international importance “speaks to the trust placed in Abu Dhabi as a global stage for the rare and exceptional”.
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