LONDON .- Christie's announces more than USD$130 million worth of art in Abu Dhabi, bringing together highlights from its forthcoming New York 20/21 sales in November alongside MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art. A curated selection from Christie's Private Sales will also be on view at The Abu Dhabi EDITION ahead of the landmark MAWASIM auction on 1 November 2026, marking Christie's first fine art auction in Abu Dhabi.

New York Highlights to Be Presented in Abu Dhabi

Three major works from Christie's upcoming New York 20/21 sales will be presented alongside the MAWASIM exhibition. Spanning abstraction and figurative painting, the selection reflects the breadth of artistic practice in 20th century Western art. Their presentation in the UAE capital connects an international collecting calendar with Abu Dhabi's distinctive cultural landscape, creating a compelling platform for collectors, institutions and wider audiences.

The highlights include:

• Wassily Kandinsky, Betonte Ecken, 1923 (estimate: USD$60,000,000–80,000,000): Monumental in scale and ambition, Betonte Ecken is a bold declaration of Kandinsky's groundbreaking formal language from the seminal years of 1922-1923 – a key moment in the emergence of abstract art. Here, Kandinsky achieves his goal of creating a Gesamkunstwerk, or 'total work of art,' brilliantly mapping melody, rhythm and harmony onto the canvas through the pure forms of colour, line and geometry. Formerly in the Guggenheim Museum collection and fresh off the walls of the 2025 Museum Barberini Kandinsky exhibition in Potsdam and the April-August 2026 Calder exhibition in Paris, this museum-quality work can be seen as a direct predecessor to Kandinsky's great masterpiece, Komposition VIII (1923; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York).

• Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1968 (estimate: USD$10,000,000–15,000,000): This radiant acrylic painting on watercolour paper mounted on linen was created following a life-threatening aortic aneurysm that forced the artist to stop painting large canvases. The intimate 36 × 25½-inch work features soft-edged, floating rectangular bands of fiery red, pink and white, framed by the raw paper borders left by masking tape.

• Pablo Picasso, Tête de femme, 1939 (estimate: USD$12,000,000–18,000,000): Portrait of the artist's lover and muse Dora Maar, created at a time when he was also involved with Marie-Thérèse Walter. The two women's relationships with Picasso overlapped for several years, and in this work, painted during his Royan period, their identities appear to merge: the lighter, pastel-toned profile has been interpreted as evoking Marie-Thérèse, while the darker, more shadowed profile suggests Dora Maar, although the interpretation can be reversed. The duality of the image offers a compelling reflection of the two women's intertwined place in Picasso's life and art.

Paige Kestenman, Co-Head of Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale, remarks: “In this masterwork, Kandinsky realises Wagner's notion of the Gesamkunstwerk, synthesising his creativity into a singular, unifying artistic experience. This painting not only represents new heights in Kandinsky's own artistic progression, but also a key moment in the development of abstraction that would influence leading Post-War artists and generations to come. This exceptional work will deservedly establish a new auction record for Kandinsky as a leading highlight of our marquee week of sales this November.”

MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art

Taking place on 1 November 2026, MAWASIM marks a significant milestone in Christie's longstanding engagement with the region. Twenty years after Christie's inaugural UAE auction in Dubai in 2006, the company's first fine-art auction in Abu Dhabi recognises the capital as a natural setting for an important new chapter shaped by its international outlook, cultural ambition and ability to convene collectors and artistic communities from across the region and beyond.

Comprising 70 works spanning nine decades, the sale brings together artists from across the Middle East and North Africa, including works from the Dalloul Collection and Barjeel Art Foundation. The selection reflects the diversity of modern and contemporary artistic practices across the region, bringing together distinct perspectives on identity, history, culture and transformation.

Further Highlights from MAWASIM

In addition to the previously announced highlight works for sale, further works include:

• Abdul Halim Radwi, Afaq Halima (Space), 1989 (estimate: USD$250,000-350,000): this monumental canvas captures a moment of optimism in Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab world, bringing the promise of space exploration and technological progress into dialogue with cultural and spiritual traditions through dynamic abstraction, celestial imagery and references to tawaf. A pioneering figure in Saudi modernism, Radwi creates a vision of modernity rooted in cultural heritage, while the work's direct provenance from the artist's estate offers a rare connection to his legacy.

• Ibrahim el-Salahi, Meditation Tree 6 (Salahi's Forest series), 2026 (estimate: USD$150,000-200,000): This large-scale sculpture draws on the Haraz tree, a symbol of independence and endurance in Sudanese folklore, exploring themes of spiritual reflection, resilience and renewal. One of five unique larger trees created for Salahi's Forest at Desert X AlUla 2026, the work marks a significant development in El-Salahi's practice, translating a motif he has explored for more than two decades into three-dimensional form. Through the tree's relationship to the wider forest, El-Salahi reflects on the balance between individual identity and collective humanity, with each form retaining its individuality while contributing to a greater sense of unity.

• Sliman Mansour, Self Portrait, 1966 (estimate: USD$100,000-150,000): A rare and deeply introspective self-portrait which offers a glimpse into the inner world of one of the most important figures in Palestinian art. Set against a dark, undefined background, Mansour's illuminated face, walking stick and clenched fist evoke a striking interplay between vulnerability and resilience, weariness and steadfastness. From the prestigious Dalloul Collection, Beirut, the work takes on added poignancy following Mansour's passing in August 2026, offering a powerful reflection on the life, legacy and enduring artistic contribution of a leading Palestinian artist.