Al Bahie Auction house held the Modern and Contemporary Art Auction last Saturday. The auction comprised major works by emerging and established regional artists alongside internationally renowned artists of the Arab diaspora. The auction was led by an exceptional work by Baya Mahieddine (Lot 31, Untitled. estimate $20,000 – 30,000), and two works by Palestinian artist Khaled Hourani (Lots 1 and 5, estimate between $10,000 – 15,000 each), who recently gained international media attention after reviving the image of the watermelon as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against the apartheid state of Israel and its war crimes.
Another major highlight of the auction was a bronze cast sculpture of Saddam Hussain’s forearm by the Iraqi pioneer artist Khaled Al Rahhal (Lot 51, Untitled, estimate $24,000 – 30,000). Al Bahie offered outstanding examples of great works by the Iraqi pioneer Faraj Abbo Al Numan, Effat Nagy, Salah Taher, Hamza Bounoua, Jamal AbdulRahim, Inass Yassin, Nedim Kufi and Sabah Arbilli, some of which we bring to auction in Doha for the first time, something we expect will spark a strong response from our local and international collectors.