NOW AND TEN

Ten years ago, Christie’s embarked on a journey into the unknown with the staging of our first ever auction of modern and
contemporary Middle Eastern art in Dubai.
The truth of the story is that it was one of those rare moments where we went into the inaugural auction in 2006 having no real
sense of how it would be received and ultimately how it would perform.
I still recall the morning of the auction the nervousness that was creeping into the team as most of the lots in the auction
remained uncovered and questions started to be asked if we had not made a miscalculation. Equally I remember the sense of
relief that was etched across the faces of the team when the very first lot in the auction flew above its pre-sale estimate, setting
the trend for the rest of the sale.
And so the journey began.
Ten years ago Christie’s Dubai had a vision that was simple - we believed in the quality of Middle Eastern art such that our
primary goal was to internationalise Middle Eastern art and artists and to bring them to a global audience.
Ten years on, much has been achieved and perhaps most important of all, what was once a very localised market has been
replaced by awareness, enthusiasm, appetite and interest in the category from across the region and beyond - the Middle
Eastern art market has become both regionalised and internationalised.
Everyone involved in the Middle Eastern art market can take great pride at how quickly things have developed and what has
been achieved over the last 10 years - art education has increased throughout the region; the number of galleries representing
Middle Eastern artists regionally and internationally has significantly increased; there are exhibitions of Middle Eastern art
taking place on a weekly basis; art fairs are playing an increasingly important role in the region; museums and foundations
are opening across the Middle East and institutions globally are acquiring Middle Eastern art, all important for the long term
sustainability of the Middle Eastern art market. It is also particularly pleasing to see that the collecting of Middle Eastern art is
far deeper today than it was 10 years ago.
But, it is still a very young market and we must not forget that - there is still progress to be made, challenges ahead, areas to be
improved upon and much to be achieved. We must all remain patient.
There have been so many highlights over the last 10 years at Christie’s Dubai, so many outstanding works offered, so many
important collections that we have been entrusted with. Perhaps more important than any single work or collection offered
and more important than all the world records that Christie’s Dubai holds for almost every Middle Eastern artist, was that we
stuck true to our vision of internationalising Middle Eastern art and our belief in the quality of the art never swayed. It was that
belief which saw us ride through more challenging times in 2009 to reach the point we are at today and never did we consider
changing course.
So here we are, staring at Christie’s ten year anniversary auction in front of us. As we started to think about the auction and
what we were looking to achieve, the strategy became immediately apparent – we wanted to put together an auction that
would be a celebration of the last 10 years that would showcase the very best of Middle Eastern art and artists to a global
audience. We feel we have achieved that with this Now And Ten auction and it would not have been possible without all the
key relationships that have been built up over the last ten years and without the trust that has been afforded us by so many
individuals, advisors, consignors and collectors alike - there are too many people to list names, but they know who they are and
Christie’s Dubai remains deeply appreciative for all the support we have received over the last 10 years.
And so Christie’s looks forward with excitement to this Now And Ten auction and to the next 10 years thereafter.
Michael Jeha
Managing Director & Deputy Chairman, Christie’s Middle East