Sotheby's inaugural Saudi Arabia auction nets over $17 million with strong local buying

Sotheby's first auction in Saudi Arabia brought in over USD 17 million, with more than a third of the items acquired by local buyers. Held in Diriyah, Riyadh, this event followed the announcement made in November and the establishment of Sotheby's office. Noteworthy sales included three pieces by Magritte, Botero, and Banksy, each exceeding USD 1 million. Works by Saudi artists also outperformed expectations: Mohammed Al Saleem's O' God fetched USD 660,000; Ahmed Mater's Illumination Diptych sold for USD 102,000; Maha Malluh's Magadeer reached USD 84,000; and Abdulhalim Radwi's untitled piece went for USD 264,000. Louay Kayyali's Then What?? sold for USD 900,000, while Samia Halaby's Blue Trap brought in USD 384,000, and Banksy's Subject to Availability achieved USD 1.2 million.