Christie’s Establishes its First Saudi Arabia Outpost

Today, Christie’s became the first international auction house to establish a permanent commercial license to operate in Saudi Arabia.

Noor Kelani will oversee the new location in her recently established role as managing director of Chrisie’s Saudi Arabia. According to a press release, she will head up client services for the fine art and luxury secondary business to “build on long-established clientele in the Kingdom and engage with the next generation of collectors”. Prior to her appointment, she was responsible for operations at Ayyam Gallery in Jeddah and was an adviser for private collections.

Though an opening date has yet been determined, Christie’s is planning to host both exhibitions and private sales, as well as “supporting cultural regional events within the Kingdom, with regular international touring highlights from important auctions into the Kingdom for the public and clients to view,” a spokesperson told the Art Newspaper.

Though the auction house has an outpost in Dubai, which was established in 2005, the latest expansion in the Saudi capital of Riyadh will focus on modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art, jewelry, and time pieces.

The art market in Saudi Arabia is growing thanks the Kingdom’s immense efforts to create an arts infrastructure, with a lengthening list of private and public collections, biennials, and institutions. Wealthy millennials eager to engage the art and luxury sector are expected to help with the regional market’s continued growth.

Christie’s achieved record success in the region when it sold Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi painting to the crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, through a third-party bidder.