This fall, the spotlight is on the women artists of the MENA region, as Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr hosts a highly anticipated auction. The “Modern & Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art” sale is scheduled for 26 September 2024 in Paris. One of the major pieces in the auction is ‘Pythagor and Thot; by renowned Ivorian artist Ouattara Watts (b. 1957). The piece, which exemplifies Watts’ gestural and tactile approach to painting, is expected to fetch between €45,000 and €65,000.
The carefully curated sale will feature a wide range of works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures by African and Middle Eastern artists. Notable names from Africa include Pascale Marthine Tayou and Aboudia, while the Middle Eastern roster features modern masters such as Fikret Moualla, Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, and Fahr El Nissa Zeid.
Bonhams is committed to showcasing works by both established and emerging artists from Africa and the Middle East. This year, the Menart Fair spotlighted the contributions of pioneering women artists from the MENA region, from 20 to 22 September.
The auction will feature 74 lots, including Pascale Marthine Tayou’s large painting Chalks and Pins V (2012) and Niulakita (1981) by Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, a pivotal figure in Iranian neo-traditionalism.
Highlights by Noor Soussi
Noor Soussi, Head of the Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern art department, said: Bonhams decided to pay tribute to pioneering female artists, highlighting contemporary female creators, such as:
Egyptian painter, Zeinab Abd El Hamid (1919-2002) with a colourful Cityscape executed in 1998 (estimate: €7,000-10,000). Zeinab Abd El Hamid’s use of vibrant colours and dynamic strokes creates a sense of movement and rhythm throughout her painting, drawing the viewer’s eye through the busy scenes. The intricate detailing of the architecture and urban scenery adds a sense of depth and texture to the composition, while the absence of solid forms or shadows gives the painting an ethereal, graphic-like quality.
Fahr El-Nissa Zeid (1900-1991) was one of the first women to attend the Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul. Then she came to Paris at Academie Ranson under the direction of Roger Bissière. Then she participated in a spate of international solo exhibitions in London, Paris, New York and the Middle East before settling in Amman in 1976, after the death of her husband Prince Zeid. Painted in 1961, Lever De Soleil, a large and abstract composition stands as a testament to Fahr El Nissa Zeid’s unparalleled ability to blend colour, emotion, and form (estimate: €50,000-80,000).
Location: Bonhams, Cornette de Saint Cyr.
Dates: 26 September 2024, 14:00 CEST