Christie’s First Dubai Auction – May 24
Published May 5th, 2006
On May 24, Christie’s is holding its first sale in Dubai – offering potential buyers in the sale room (and on the phone) the chance to bid for 128 pieces of modern and contemporary art from the Arab world, India, Pakistan, Iran and the West. The sale, which is set to take place at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, marks the official inauguration of Christie’s business in the Middle East.
The house set up a representative office in Dubai a year ago, after holding a number of charity sales such as the “Camel Caravan Gala Auction,” which netted $1.4 million.
The Dubai office is headed up by Lydia Limerick (full title: Lydia, Countess of Limerick), who is based there and worked previously in events management. So far, she has a staff of three, though according to Paul Hewitt, Christie’s director for international business development, “We are looking to staff up appropriately.”
Beyond that, Christie’s is flying in 40 people for the May 24 sale to make sure everything goes smoothly, from the chief executive level on down.
“This shows our commitment to the region and to the sale,” adds Hewitt.
