ArtDayME: Leading fine art auction house Christie’s is planning on expanding its presence in the Middle East by opening a franchise in Riyadh. Led by Managing Director Nour Kelani, the Riyadh franchise will be Christie’s second branch in the region, joining Christie’s Dubai which opened in 2005.

Although an opening date has not yet been confirmed, Christies has announced that it will focus on selling art by modern and contemporary Middle Eastern artists, as well as high-end jewelry and timepieces.

^{Nour Kelani, managing director of Christie’s Saudi Arabia. Courtesy of Christie's}

The announcement comes in the wake of Saudi artists gaining significant international recognition. This summer, Christie's in London hosted a landmark mid-career retrospective of multidisciplinary Saudi artist Ahmed Mater. Meanwhile, just down the road, Sotheby’s presented ‘Khamseen’, an exhibition highlighting 50 years of Saudi modern and contemporary art.

This growing interest has led to commercial success; in June 2023, Christie's in London auctioned Ahmed Mater’s ‘Magnetism (Triptych)’ for GBP 189,000, setting a new record for the artist at auction.

^{"Magnetism" artwork by Saudi artist Ahmed Mater}

Christie's expansion signals the rise of a commercial art market in the Kingdom, akin to that of neighboring UAE. This growth is largely attributed to recent investments by the Saudi government in promoting arts and culture as part of Vision 2030, such as the launch of the Diriyah’ Contemporary Art and Jeddah’s Islamic Art Biennales and the  establishment of a host of new art museums and public galleries.