Sotheby’s has officially checked in to the capital of collectibles. Opening yesterday at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, the auction house debuts its first Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, presenting more than $1 billion worth of fine art and luxury objects.
In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the auction house has transformed over 2,000 square metres of the resort into a rarefied viewing experience, marking its most ambitious initiative in the Middle East and the region’s first dedicated luxury auction series.
Running from 2–5 December, the week invites the public into a world that usually exists behind private doors, think museum-quality works of art, exceptional jewellery, rare watches, coveted handbags, collector cars, high-performance bikes and statement real estate. The programme culminates on Friday 5 December with a live auction staged directly on the beach of the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, a cinematic setting for what is now the most valuable auction series ever held in the region.
More than 80 lots will be offered across four sales, with a combined estimate in excess of $150 million. Leading the line-up is the first complete set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 ever to appear at auction, estimated at $10–20 million, alongside the world’s largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond, guided at $5–7 million, and one of Jane Birkin’s personal Hermès Birkins, one of only five created for the late actress and style icon. Completing the picture are four high-performance bicycles from Italian legend Colnago, thirty-two collectible cars, and two properties, one on the French Riviera and another in Austria, designed by Zaha Hadid.
Rare diamonds, important gemstones, high jewellery, fine watches and handbags are available for private sale, offering visitors the chance to study craftsmanship and detail at close range. Even for those who are not bidding, simply moving through the spaces becomes its own form of immersion.
The experience wouldn’t be complete without art, of course. Icons: Abu Dhabi, a non-selling retrospective, brings together some of Sotheby’s most talked-about works from the past six decades. On view are Banksy’s self-shredding Girl Without Balloon, Gustav Klimt’s luminous Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan), and Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin. Adding historical depth, Sotheby’s has also brought to Abu Dhabi Rembrandt van Rijn’s Young Lion Resting, a drawing regarded as one of the greatest Old Master works ever to appear at auction.
A series of talks and panel discussions, all free and open to the public, brings together leading voices from across art and luxury. Sessions range from “Jewellery Is Art” with Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle to “The Legacy of Picasso” with his granddaughter and art historian Diana Picasso, and “The Icon Behind the Birkin,” a conversation with author Marisa Meltzer about her recent biography of Jane Birkin. Throughout the week, Sotheby’s specialists also host daily masterclasses on jewellery and handbags.
