ArtDayME: Sotheby’s will hold its first international fine art auction in Abu Dhabi on December 10, expanding the second edition of its Collectors’ Week with a major sale bringing together internationally renowned artists and pioneering figures from the Middle Eastern art scene.

Titled Breaking Ground, the auction will feature works by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet alongside pieces by leading Emirati artists, including Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Hassan Sharif and Najat Makki. The sale marks a significant expansion of Sotheby’s presence in the UAE capital, building on the inaugural Collectors’ Week held in December 2025.

The auction will take place at the new Saadiyat Grove Experience Center on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi’s cultural district, close to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The event will coincide with a busy period for the city’s cultural calendar, following the inaugural Frieze Abu Dhabi in November and preceding the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s scheduled opening on December 11.

Andy Warhol and Claude Monet Lead Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi Auction Highlights

Among the principal highlights are Andy Warhol’s Ads portfolio from 1985, estimated at $2 million to $3 million, and Claude Monet’s Prunes et Abricots, painted between 1882 and 1885, with an estimate of $2 million to $2.6 million.

Andy Warhol, Ads, 1985./ Courtesy of Sotheby’s

The selection also includes a drawing by Christo depicting the proposed Abu Dhabi Mastaba, a monumental public art project envisioned for the Liwa desert by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The work carries a direct connection to the region’s cultural landscape.

According to the currently announced selection of 21 lots, the auction has a combined low estimate of $6.54 million and a high estimate of $9.08 million. Sotheby’s is expected to announce additional works before the sale.

Claude Monet, Prunes et Abricots, 1882–85./ Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Women Artists and Emirati Pioneers Take Centre Stage in ‘Breaking Ground’

The auction places particular emphasis on women artists, with works by Huguette Caland, Jadé Fadojutimi, Inji Efflatoun, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Najat Makki, Mona Saudi, Gazbia Sirry, Zarina and Etel Adnan. Other international and regional artists represented include S.H. Raza, Fernando Botero, Paul Guiragossian, Farid Belkahia and Aref El Rayess.

Sotheby’s is also working with artists and their estates to introduce Nujoom Al-Ghanem and Nasser Al-Yousif to auction for the first time.