I had the chance & pleasure to attend Ayyam Gallery 6th Young Collectors Auction last January in Dubai, where 82 Lots were sold for nearly $390,000 USD!! It went beyond my expectations since it was the first auction I attend; vibrant, exciting, fun and most important very well organized! The teams efforts & hard work paid off excellently, big bravo to Ayyam Gallery.

Now back to the auction! There were variety of artworks; paintings, sculptures, photographies, limited edition prints and conceptual art, for 57 different pioneer & emerging artists of the region. The auction aims to encourage collectors to closely bond with artists; as well as supporting artists & appreciating their artworks.

The highlights of the evening came with competitive bidding over works by emerging artists such as sculptors Ahmed Al Askalany and Sahand Hesamiyan who both sold for $21,600 and $13,200 respectively, conceptual artist Ammar Al Beik and modernist painter Asaad Arabi whose final hammer prices were $15,600 and $8,400.

The total sales of auction is $389,840 USD with 90% of the lots were sold with total sales exceeding the aggregate of the low estimates! Here’s a list of artists featured in Ayyam Gallery Young Collectors Auction according to the Lot:

1. Mohannad Orabi
2. Elias Izoli
3. Ossama Baalbaki
4. Alfred Tarazi
5. Abdul Karim Majdal Beik
6. Kais Salman
7. Fadi Yazigi
8. Khaled Takriti
9. Safwan Dahoul
10. Yaser Safi
11. Ad Achkar
12. Lara Atallah
13. Lara Zankoul
14. Mohamad Badr
15. Shadi Ghadirian
16. Rodin Hamidi
17. Marwa Adel
18. Arash Hanaei
19. Meera Huraiz
20. Ammar Abo Rabbo
21. Nijad Abdul Massih
22. Rania Mattar
23. Bahman Jalali
24. Ala Ebtekar
25. Nadim Karam
26. Mustafa Ali
27. Ahmad Al Askalany
28. Asem Al Basha
29. Sahand Hesamiyan
30. Tammam Azem
31. Ammar Al Beik
32. Mouteea Mourad
33. Nizar F. Othman
34. Nihad Al Turk
35. Omran Younes
36. Walid El Masri
37. Inaya Fanis Hodeib
38. Thaier Helal
39. The Nizar Ismail Collection:

a) Fatteh Moudarres
b) Naim Ismail
c) Nazem Al Jaaferi
d) Rashad Mustafa
e) Nazir Nabaa
f) Adham Ismail

40. Asaad Arabi
41. Youssef Dweik
42. Abdullah Murad
43. Samia Halaby
44. Asma Fayoumi
45. Huda Lutfi
46. Zena Assi
47. Tamara Al Samerraei
48. Othman Moussa
49. Qaswra Hafez
50. Golnaz Fathi
51. Oussama Diab
52. Amir H. Fallah
53. Rafik Majzoub
54. Salah Saouli
55. Sabhan Adam
56. Yaser Safi
57. Hani Rashed

Al Maha broadcasted the results live via Twitter & Facebook; for complete results check Auction Results

Ayyam Auctions is the first of its kind among commercial spaces in the region and was launched in 2009 as part of Ayyam Gallery’s innovative approach to catering to its diverse range of clients. Initiated with the Young Collectors Auction in Dubai in 2009, these public sales have highlighted some of the Middle East’s most exciting figures, and recently Ayyam Auctions has worked with other Middle Eastern galleries to insure a blue-chip selection of painting, sculpture and photography that is at once authoritative and robust.

It was an unforgettable experience that I still talk proudly about! It was a new approach to further understand Art & step closer into the Art Map, I wish all the best to all artists participating in Ayyam Gallery upcoming auctions.

Cheers