Saudi Arabian artist Safeya Binzagr has achieved an explosive set of new records as her painting Coffee Shop in Madina Road (1968) sold for $2.1 million at auction at Sotheby’s in Saudi Arabia. The monumental evening sale took place this past Saturday, January 31st. The sale not only marks the highest price ever achieved for the artist—the painting realized more than ten times its high estimate of $150,000–$200,000—but also represents the third-highest sum ever reached at auction for work by an Arab artist. The work is also now the most expensive work sold at auction by a Saudi artist. The previous benchmark was set in 2023 at Sotheby’s in London, with an untitled 1986 painting by Mohammed Al Saleem fetching $756,000.
“Tonight’s results are a clear validation of the growing appetite among collectors in the Kingdom,” remarked Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s contemporary art specialist and head of sale. “We are seeing remarkable enthusiasm from both established and new buyers who are eager to engage with us and participate in this evolving market. What’s particularly exciting is how this sale has introduced local and regional artists to a wider collector base, expanding visibility and sparking deeper interest in the cultural and artistic expression of the region.”
This landmark sale in Diriyah, Riyadh, titled “Origins II,” achieved a total of $19.58 million and featured leading Saudi and Middle Eastern artists alongside other blue-chip international names. It is a follow-up to Sotheby’s inaugural art auction in the kingdom that took place last February, and signals the auction house’s long-term interest in the Middle East. According to Sotheby’s, collectors from over 40 countries participated in this year’s bidding across more than 70 lots, a third of which went to buyers from within Saudi Arabia.
The auction comes at an important moment for Saudi Arabia, as it continues the push to position itself as a global arts hub and invests in ambitious cultural expansion projects, such as the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which opened its third edition last week. Elsewhere in the region, the behemoth fair group Art Basel will make its debut in the Middle East this week with the first ever Art Basel Qatar, which takes place in Doha from February 5th–7th.
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