Saudi woman painter outshines Picasso at Sotheby's second sale in Diriyah

"The 2025 sale came in just above its low estimate (all estimates calculated without fees), making $14.4m ($17.2m with fees) from 140 lots with a patchy 67% sell-through rate by lot. This year, by contrast, was a more concise offering, with 67 lots of fine art that landed a healthier sell-through rate of 89% and a hammer total of $15.4m ($19.5m with fees), near the pre-sale high estimate of $16.6m."

"Arab Modernists and name-brand postwar and contemporary Western artists continue to provide the bulk of this sale's value. Last year's slew of luxury lots was replaced by more blue-chip works, many of which carried popular references to the Arab world, such as an Alighiero Boetti canvas with Arabic script, or a Roy Lichtenstein painting with pyramids. They joined works by lesser known Middle Eastern names, plus a small selection of design and Indian art."

"During the auction, three lots were passed: Refik Anadol's generative video "painting" linked to an NFT (est $350,000-$450,000), a Joris Laarman biomimetic armchair (est $150,000-$200,000), and a 2013 bronze sculpture by the Persian market heavyweight Parviz Tanavoli (est $60,000-$80,000). In addition, four lots were withdrawn prior to the sale, including a Sahara landscape by Jean Dubuffet (est $800,000-$1.2m), a Basquiat oil drawing (est $400,000-$600,000), and the sale's only pre-Modern work, an ancient alabaster figure from South Arabia (est $60,000-$90,000)."

Sotheby's second Saudi auction, Origins II, totaled $15.4m hammer ($19.5m with fees) from 67 lots, achieving an 89% sell-through rate and nearing its pre-sale high estimate of $16.6m. The 2025 comparable sale made $14.4m ($17.2m with fees) from 140 lots with a 67% sell-through rate. Around one-third of buyers originated from Saudi Arabia. Arab Modernists and postwar and contemporary Western artists provided most sale value, with works referencing the Arab world by Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein, plus lesser-known Middle Eastern names, design and Indian art. Three lots were passed and four were withdrawn prior to sale, including works by Refik Anadol and Jean Dubuffet.

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