Exhibition & Online Auction

The Auction Room, the new online auction house, is delighted to announce the inaugural auction of Middle Eastern Contemporary Art which will take place online at www.theauctionroom.com on 19th September 2013 at 7pm London time. The auction will be on exhibition at 27 and 28 Cork Street, Mayfair from 17th to 19th September.

The Auction Room is the only London-based auction house to conduct auctions exclusively in the Contemporary Middle Eastern market and the first to bring the market entirely online, with other houses holding Middle Eastern auctions in Dubai or Doha. Therefore, it will target a wide audience, ranging from established to young collectors and first-time buyers, for whom London is a key centre for the arts, and who enjoy transacting through online platforms.

The Auction Room’s specialist for the sale, Janet Rady, has commented “we are very excited to be holding Middle Eastern auctions online for the first time, with the unique element of a physical preview exhibition in London. In recent years there has been a huge surge of interest in the region and we are delighted to be filling a gap in the current market. With estimates ranging from £1,000 to £60,000, the auction provides the perfect opportunity for a variety of collectors from all parts of the world to participate. ”

Well-known and up-and-coming Arab and Iranian artists are featured, including: Ahmed Alsoudani, Lalla Essaydi, Diana Al-Hadid, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Ramin Haerizadeh, Hayv Kahraman, Shirin Neshat, Ali Shirazi and Soheila Sokhanvari. A selection of works will be included from the critically acclaimed exhibition: Unveiled: New Art from The Middle East held in 2009 at the Saatchi Gallery, London.

Many of the works confront the political and social issues of the artists’ native countries with a clarity and bravery which, in several cases, has resulted in exile or arrest, whilst they also draw clear influence from and take great pride in their county’s artistic heritage and legacy of decorative arts.