Via George Nelson in artnews.com: Sotheby’s will host the first-ever international auction in Saudi Arabia on February 8 2025. The exact location of the two-part evening sale has not yet been disclosed but it will be somewhere in the historic town of Diriyah on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. Diriyah is the original home of the Saudi royal family and has a UNESCO heritage site. Artworks by international and Saudi artists – including a diptych from Ahmed Mater’s The Illumination Series – Islamic objects, jewelry, watches, cars, sports memorabilia, and handbags will go under the hammer for the sale, titled “Origins.” It will coincide with Sotheby’s opening an office in the Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh, which is the first skyscraper in the country and designed by Norman Foster.
