Sotheby’s inaugural auction in Saudi Arabia — and the country’s first major international art and luxury auction — took place in Diriyah on Saturday with works by regional artists selling particularly well.

Sotheby's tests the market in Saudi Arabia. Plus, collectors Justin Sun and David Geffen are in a legal dispute over a Giacometti.

The historical mud-brick city of Diriyah in Saudi Arabia played host to an unusual crowd on Saturday night: art aficionados, new collectors and first-time paddle holders melding together to take part in Sotheby’s inaugural auction in the kingdom.

The first international auction held in Saudi Arabia featured luxury watches and jewels, international art, Arab artists, and sports memorabilia

Also influenced by Surrealism is Wassily Kandinsky’s Pointillé (estimate: $250,000 – 350,000). The Russian painter and art theorist is often credited with painting one of the first purely abstract modern works, and this painting was formerly in the collection of New York’s Guggenheim Museum.

A historic moment will take place in Saudi Arabia this week with Sotheby’s staging the first ever live auction in the kingdom. On Feb. 8, the New York-headquartered auction house will bring the hammer down on around 100 lots in an unprecedented event in Riyadh marking the first ever international auction in the Gulf nation’s history.

Sotheby’s to host first ever international art auction in Saudi Arabia, titled Origins, in Diriyah on February 8th

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - 08, 2025 Saudi Arabia is the setting for its first international auction with a hundred lots presented by the auction house Sotheby’s, which include watches and limited edition bags,