Christie’s First Fine Art Auction in Abu Dhabi to Offer More Than 70 Works, Including Art by Fahrelnissa Zeid
More than a decade after Fahrelnissa Zeid, the Jordanian royal and legendary Turkish-Jordanian artist, made auction history at Christie’s, her work is returning to the house’s spotlight as one of the highlights of its first-ever fine art auction in Abu Dhabi.
Two works by Fahrelnissa will feature in MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, taking place at The Abu Dhabi EDITION on November 1. The landmark sale marks 20 years since Christie’s first auction in the UAE and brings together more than 70 works spanning the modern and contemporary art of the Middle East and North Africa, including works from Beirut’s Dalloul Collection and Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation.
Also among the highlights is Fahrelnissa Zeid’s Composition, 1948–1949. The landmark work comes from the period when Zeid was developing the distinctive abstract language that would establish her international reputation in the 1950s.
Its kaleidoscopic geometry and luminous colours reflect the influences that shaped Zeid’s work, from her experience of seeing Baghdad from the air to Islamic architecture, Byzantine mosaics, and stained glass. The painting was photographed hanging in Zeid’s studio at the Iraqi Embassy in London, where she worked following her husband, Prince Zeid Al-Hussein, becoming Iraq’s ambassador in 1946. It remained in her possession through the upheavals that followed the 1958 Iraqi Revolution, adding another layer to the history of a work that captures an important moment in both Zeid’s artistic journey and her life.
Among the featured artists is pioneering Egyptian painter Mahmoud Saïd, whose Portrait of Princess Fadia offers an intimate glimpse into Egypt’s royal past.
A painting of Her Royal Highness Princess Fadia, the youngest daughter of King Farouk I and Queen Farida, and Saïd’s great-niece. Formerly part of Queen Farida’s collection, the portrait captures the young princess with remarkable natural poise, rendered through Saïd’s characteristic soft handling of light.
It is also a special year for Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid. 2026 marks 125 years since her birth and 35 years since her death, making her return to the Christie’s auction scene even more meaningful. More than a decade after she made auction history with the house, her work is once again part of an important Christie’s sale, this time in Abu Dhabi.
