Christie’s, a leading art business, will showcase works from eight important family collections from across the Middle East, led by a comprehensive group of the Lebanese modernist pictures by Shafic Abboud from the Viviane and Robert Debbas Collection.

The paintings, among others, will be at the heart of the 122-lot sale at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, UAE, on October 21.

The modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish art sale will include works from a prominent private Iranian collection, the Dr Farsi Collection; works from the Tobler family; Hamed Ewais, Elie Kanaan and Mahmoud Hammad Estates as well a group of modern Iraqi works from the private collection of the late Dr Al-Qassab.

In addition, the sale will feature masterpieces by Mahmoud Saïd, Paul Guiragossian, Fateh Moudarres, Parviz Tanavoli and Sohrab Sepehri. 

Three spectacular paintings by the father of modern Egyptian art, Mahmoud Saïd (1897-1964), are led by the exquisite and rare ‘Bergère à Alamein’. Using a luminous yellow pigment soaked with sunlight for the ground, heightened by an immaculate white for the hills in the background, Saïd manages to reflect the distinctive colours of El-Alamein, the Mediterranean town in the Matrouh Governorate in Egypt. The ‘bergère’ or ‘shepherdess’ embodies one of Saïd’s recurring subjects, that of the Egyptian ‘fellaha’ or ‘peasant’. It is expected to sell for $400,000-$600,000. The other two works include one of Said's most spectacular 'Cezannesque' Lebanese landscapes Après la pluie au Liban from the same collection (estimate: $200,000-$250,000) and a jewel-like panel from another private collection, Le Chat Blanc (esquisse), which is a preparatory oil sketch for one of Said's most iconic large compositions of the same title (estimate: $80,000-$120,000).

One of the principal pioneers of social realism in Egyptian art, the painter Hamed Ewais (1919-2011), is represented by two works, sold from the artist’s estate.

From the exceptional Beirut collection of Viviane & Robert Debbas (1926-2004) are a series of large compositions in Shafic Abboud’s (Lebanese, 1926-2004) distinctive, abstract hand. Each work is an example of his 60-year experiment in the search for the essence of light through colour which he described: “I only stop when both colour and light match. I cannot escape from colour, it is my fate and nature – my eyes have been dazzled forever.”  The collection of 10 works is expected to realise around $2 million and is highlighted by Grand Chambre 3 (estimated: $150,000-$200,000). – TradeArabia News Service