SEPTEMBER 2017 – Today, Sotheby’s Dubai announces that it will stage its inaugural auction in the city, Boundless: Dubai. Presenting new perspectives on art from and inspired by the Middle East, and exploring the influence of the region — its beauty, complexity and artistic heritage — on artistic innovation around the globe, the sale has been curated by Ashkan Baghestani and a worldwide team of specialists at Sotheby’s. Bringing together works sourced internationally to create a forward-looking dialogue for both new and seasoned collectors, the sale’s offering spans the collecting categories of 20th Century and Contemporary Art, Design, Photography, Prints, Books & Manuscripts, Arts of the Islamic World, Orientalist and Jewellery.

The works will be exhibited from 6 to 12 October at Sotheby’s Dubai in the Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE, followed by an auction on 13 November. Patron for the sale is Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment, President of The Cultural Office and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs —with whom Sotheby’s has collaborated on a series of educational initiatives following the signing of an MOU with The Office of Culture in April 2017. Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s Chairman for the Middle East, said: “Since opening our gallery and office in Dubai earlier this year it has been hugely rewarding to have strengthened bonds with our fast-growing community of clients in the region. Developing the scope of what we offer, beyond our expanding programme of exhibitions and educational initiatives, is a means of enhancing our ability to support and inspire the individual journeys of collectors. Holding this exciting, cross-category sale here reflects the evolution of Sotheby’s Dubai —both our commitment to our clients and our contribution to the market in the region— and we are honoured to have Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as our patron.”

Historically, the centuries-old influence of the Middle East on Europe and Asia cannot be overstated —be it in the fields of mathematics and medicine or scriptures and the arts. By drawing these strands together in a truly international context, the sale of outstanding art and objects, sourced from around the globe and spanning a diverse range of artistic disciplines, transcends the boundaries of geography and culture.

Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s Arab & Iranian Art Specialist and Head of Sale, commented: “With the evolving cultural scene of the region and the broadening of tastes here, combined with and the trends taking place in the wider art world, this feels like the perfect moment to progressively expand the range of artists offered at auction in the UAE. By uniting outstanding and rare examples of works by the likes of Mona Hatoum, Kader Attia, François-Xavier Lalanne, Franz West, Kahlil Gibran, Tracey Emin, Ali Banisadr, Samia Halaby and Sohrab Sepehri, the sale will shine a light on the extraordinary and sometimes unexpected links that bind them, and will appeal to collectors across the region as much as to collectors across the globe.”