Shortly after announcing a staggering $1 billion investment deal with Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, Sotheby’s wasted no time unveiling its ambitious regional expansion plans. The auction house is gearing up for its first-ever auction in Saudi Arabia—also the first by any international auction house in the Kingdom—set to take place on February 8 in Diriyah, the UNESCO-protected historical city just outside Riyadh, often referred to as Saudi Arabia’s “ancestral heart.” This debut sale will coincide with the opening of Sotheby’s new office in the iconic Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh, the first Saudi skyscraper designed by the legendary Norman Foster and an emblem of the country’s ambitious future.
Sotheby’s has now pulled back the curtain on the curated, multi-category selection that will headline this groundbreaking sale. In an effort to captivate a diverse and discerning audience, the auction house is offering a cross-category lineup of luxury items, including jewels, watches, rare cars, handbags and iconic sports memorabilia, alongside modern masterpieces, contemporary blue-chip works and art from the region itself.
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As Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s head of sales and a contemporary art specialist, explained in a November statement, the sale has been designed to “serve as an introduction to our offering and to embody the cross-category spirit we pride ourselves on curating.”
Titled Origins, the two-part auction is an overture to Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning market of collectors and connoisseurs and geared toward buyers across demographics and cultural tastes. The auction emphasizes the “uniqueness” of the lots on offer, spotlighting their cachet as ultimate status symbols. Notably, Sotheby’s is making history by accepting cryptocurrency payments for all lots in this sale—a first for the auction house and a possible indication of the evolving expectations of high-net-worth clientele in the region.
The emphasis on “contemporary icons” is unmistakable in Sotheby’s strategy, with the auction house prominently featuring Michael Jordan’s jersey from the legendary 1998 NBA Playoffs—better known as “The Last Dance”—on its homepage as a headline lot. Accompanied by an entire page that casts the jersey as an almost mystical artifact, the piece is treated as both a relic of sports history and a modern totem of cultural significance. As the page breathlessly explains, memorabilia from Jordan’s iconic Playoff and Finals run are exceedingly rare, which justifies the jaw-dropping $1.2 million estimate. Preserved in pristine condition, the jersey comes with a trifecta of authentication: a letter from the Chicago Bulls, a photo-matching letter from The MeiGray Group, and a letter from James Spence Authentication regarding Jordan’s signature. Rounding out the sports memorabilia is a series of match-worn jerseys and shoes from none other than soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
In an inspired juxtaposition, Sotheby’s is selling this almost mythical sports memorabilia alongside Fernando Botero’s stately painting Society Woman. Staged in a photo to hang over a pool in what appears to be an opulent outdoor atrium, the piece invites prospective buyers to imagine exactly where it might fit in their lives of luxury. Women have long been one of Botero’s favorite subjects, typically rendered with an exuberant nod to their sexuality, voluptuousness and curvaceous forms—often semi-draped or entirely nude. Here, however, Botero takes a more austere turn. The subject of the painting, fully wrapped in an elaborate red dress, exudes dignity and restraint, perfectly attuned to the societal norms of the region. Coming from the collection of the artist’s son, the 2003 canvas carries an estimate of $800,000–$1,200,000. Adding to the Botero showcase is his monumental sculpture Man on Horse (estimate: $1,000,000–$1,500,000), which riffs on the grandeur of equestrian statues throughout history and embodies an unmistakable sense of status.
Of course, no sale touting icons would be complete without the inclusion of Andy Warhol. Sotheby’s offers the Pop Art maestro’s screenprint of Queen Elizabeth, reinforcing Warhol’s perennial fascination with celebrity
And while the auction leans heavily into jewelry and watches, it also includes one of Damien Hirst’s iconic butterfly pieces. Estimated at $400,000–$600,000, the 2005 work Faithless stands out both for its provocative title and its visual allure. While the word might raise eyebrows among more traditional collectors in the Saudi Kingdom, the piece’s geometric precision and structured composition feel surprisingly in sync with the region’s aesthetic sensibilities.
Targeting the new generation of collectors, Sotheby’s is featuring the monumental digital painting Machine Hallucinations: Mars by celebrated Turkish artist Refik Anadol. Estimated at $800,000–$1,200,000, this real-time generative A.I. work draws from space telescope data and visual memories of Mars, creating a hypnotic, hallucinatory landscape that continually reinterprets our evolving relationship with technology, artificial intelligence and space exploration.
The auction also includes standout works by artists who have gained institutional recognition and significant market momentum in recent years. Among these is Unspoken Satisfaction, a painting by Nigerian-American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, who recently represented her country in the pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Carrying an estimate of $300,000–$500,000, the work reflects Ojih Odutola’s rapid ascent in both critical acclaim and collector demand. The sale is rounded out by contributions from contemporary heavyweights George Condo and Nicholas Party.
A selection of artworks will be displayed outdoors in the oasis-like spaces of Diriyah, adding a layer of experiential allure to the auction. Among these highlights is Antony Gormley’s sculpture Sidle (estimate: $700,000–$900,000), which evokes themes of human connection and presence. Complementing Gormley’s work is a mesmerizing light installation by James Turrell (estimate: $120,000–$180,000), creating an ethereal interplay of light and space. There’s also Alexander Calder’s Haute Couture, a stunning sculpture from the final year of the artist’s life estimated at $700,000–$900,000, and Robert Indiana’s AMOR, a Pop Art icon estimated at $220,000–$280,000.
As Surrealism continues to dominate in the international art market, Sotheby’s brings an enchanting selection of visionary works from the movement to this sale. Leading the charge is La Légende égyptienne, an enigmatic large-scale painting by Belgian Surrealist Paul Delvaux, estimated at $500,000–$700,000. Joining the Delvaux is Giorgio De Chirico’s quintessentially nostalgic Due Cavalli in riva al mare (estimate: $350,000–$450,000), capturing the dreamlike mood of the surrealist ethos. The star of the surrealist lineup, however, is René Magritte’s whimsical gouache, L’État de veille (estimate: $1,000,000–$1,500,000). Magritte, who this year unseated Picasso with the highest-ever auction total of $312.3 million, continues to captivate collectors with his boundless imagination.
Adding to the sale’s prestige, the auction features Pointillé, a masterpiece by Russian abstract pioneer Wassily Kandinsky, estimated at $250,000–$350,000. Formerly part of the Guggenheim’s collection, this piece represents a critical moment in Kandinsky’s pioneering exploration of color, form and abstraction.
The auction also dives into the rich legacy of Arab contemporary art, with work by Saudi Arabia’s most important modernist, Mohammad Al Saleem. His poetic, seemingly abstract painting O’ God, Honour Them and Do Not Honor an Enemy Over Them, inspired by the delicate skyline between the desert and sky of Riyadh, is estimated at $180,000–$250,000. Al Saleem, who set the world auction record for a Saudi artist at Sotheby’s London in 2023, continues to define the region’s modernist aesthetic. Complementing his work is an Untitled painting by Abdulhalim Radwi, estimated at $120,000–$180,000. Radwi’s bold interpretation of cubism and expressionism left an indelible mark on Arab modernism.
The undisputed highlight among the pioneers of Arab art is Louay Kayyali’s expressive canvas Then What??, estimated at $500,000–$700,000 and poised to set an auction record. Depicting a somber group of mourning women dressed in black, the painting serves as a haunting statement on the centuries of suffering caused by wars and exiles in the region. Hailed as “one of the most iconic images in the world of modern Arab art,” this masterpiece emerges from the prestigious Samawi Collection, one of the largest and most respected private collections of Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian, and Turkish art. From the same collection comes another landmark offering: Samia Halaby’s Blue Trap in a Railroad Station. Estimated at $200,000–$300,000, this large-scale work represents one of the most significant pieces by the artist ever to appear at auction. Halaby’s life story, shaped by displacement and resilience, is as inspiring as her art—born in Jerusalem, moving to Beirut, and later becoming the first female professor at Yale School of Art’s Fine Arts division.
Halaby is not the only female artist commanding attention in the sale, though women are notably underrepresented compared to their male counterparts. Among the offerings is The Release of the Dead by Lebanese artist Sarah Al-Quatil, estimated at $80,000–$120,000. Also featured is a groundbreaking ceramic piece by recent market sensation Etel Adnan, titled Staring at the Sun. Estimated at $150,000–$200,000, the work connects the ancient art of ceramic wall decoration with the modernist aesthetics Adnan is celebrated for. Comparable to similar ceramic walls held in major museum collections, this piece evokes a lineage stretching from the mosaics of the Roman Empire to the intricate tilework of Islamic architecture.
Luxury watches take center stage as another major highlight of the sale, perfectly aligning with Saudi Arabia’s surging appetite for high-end consumption, which is projected to grow by 2.40 percent annually between 2025 and 2029, reaching an estimated market volume of $3.20 billion by 2029. Sotheby’s will present premier examples from renowned brands, including Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille and Rolex. Among these, the absolute standout is a unique commissioned Cartier Crash, estimated at $130,000–$260,000. The rarity of this model justifies its price tag—original Crash watches were produced in minuscule quantities during select years (1991, 2019 and 2022), and this particular piece, marked as “1 of 1,” was commissioned directly from Cartier and exclusively crafted in 2007 for a top private client.
All lots for the “Origins” auction will be showcased at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace from February 1 to February 8, coinciding with the annual Diriyah Season, a week-long cultural festival that celebrates Diriyah’s rich heritage through a vibrant lineup of events and experiences, seamlessly blending tradition with modern luxury. The festival enhances Bujairi Terrace’s already world-class retail and dining options, while Sotheby’s aims to deliver a memorable, comprehensive luxury experience to prospective buyers that will leave an indelible mark on Saudi Arabia’s luxury market.
