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Sotheby’s Unveils $1 Billion Of Luxury & Fine Art at Debut Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week:

Inaugural Showcase of Major Sales, Exhibitions, and Cultural Programming

Presented in Collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office

DECEMBER 2-5
In Collaboration With Adio, The Abu Dhabi Investment Office

আবুধাবি কালেক্টরস উইকে সোথবি'স ১টিপি৪টি১ বিলিয়ন মূল্যের বিলাসবহুল ও চারুকলা উন্মোচন করেছে

FEATURING:

The First Ever Luxury Auction Series to be Held in the Middle East:

$150 Million of Jewelry, Watches, Handbags, Collector Cars, and Real Estate

— The Most Valuable Auctions Ever Staged in the Region —

$100 Million of Luxury Items Available for Private Sale

A Major Fine Art Exhibition Including: 

One of the Finest Rembrandt Drawings Ever to Appear at Auction

Gustav Klimt’s Likely Final Portrait

Banksy’s Iconic Shredded Girl Without Balloon

The Most Valuable Ancient Artefact Ever Sold at Auction

And Further Masterworks by Magritte, Dali, Mondrian, and Warhol

Over a Dozen Talks and Panels Featuring Leading Luminaries, including:

Diana Picasso, Batia Ofer, and a Prominent Art Collector

His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan & Thomas Kaplan

ABU DHABI, NOVEMBER 20, 2025

সোথবি’s today reveals the full scope of its inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi, featuring auctions, private sale opportunities, exhibitions, and a special programme of talks and masterclasses co-hosted by special guests. Staged in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), this landmark week will bring together – either on exhibit or for sale – over $1 billion of fine art and luxury items, marking a major milestone for Sotheby’s and Abu Dhabi’s luxury retail landscape.

The much-anticipated event will take place against the stunning backdrop of Abu Dhabi’s St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, with exhibitions opening to the public starting 2 December, and culminating in a series of live auctions on 5 December.

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St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort_Home of Sotheby's Collectors' Week_entrance
St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort_Home of Sotheby’s Collectors’ Week_entrance

Sotheby’s is delighted to extend our commitment in the Middle East with our first-ever Collectors’ Week. 

The UAE has rapidly become a global centre for art, luxury, and culture, and we are honoured to present a world-class lineup of auctions, panels, and masterclasses to the region during one of the busiest weeks of the year. Thank you to our partners at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office for helping us bring our programme to life.

Charles F. Stewart,  Sotheby’s Chief Executive Officer


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Hosting the inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi is a milestone that reflects our city’s rising cultural influence.

The unveiling of extraordinary pieces, from McLaren’s next F1 concept to the largest flawless diamond in the world and the first complete Patek Philippe Star Caliber  2000 ever offered, speaks to the trust placed in Abu  Dhabi as a global stage for the rare and exceptional.

This partnership with Sotheby’s cements our city as the new ‘Capital of Collectibles, ’ yet it is about more than remarkable auctions; it’s about shaping meaningful experiences and strengthening the connection between our growing collector community and the world. We are proud to welcome this debut edition to the capital.

Noora Al Foulathi, Head Of Abu Dhabi Retail

For our inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi, we’ve assembled an unprecedented suite of offerings across our luxury portfolio and collaborated with some of the world’s leading brands. There is no better time or place to do this than Abu Dhabi, during the most dynamic moment in the city’s cultural calendar. Our aim is not only to present world-class treasures at auction, but also to build lasting connections with collectors in the region through talks, masterclasses, and a museum-quality exhibition of artworks from around the world.

Abu Dhabi’s rapidly expanding cultural landscape – driven by a young and growing collector base and supported by ambitious long-term development plans – is fostering a vibrant art and luxury community. This momentum aligns

perfectly with Sotheby’s vision, and we’re thrilled to begin our next chapter of expansion with Abu Dhabi at its heart.

Josh Pullan, Global Head Of Sotheby’s Luxury Division


Among the $150 million in luxury offerings to be presented across five auctions on 5 December are standout items, many of which have never appeared at auction before, and all with unmatched provenance, including:

  • The opportunity to acquire three McLaren Racing cars offered from across the team’s portfolio, covering the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Bidders will have the chance to acquire a 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team car months before the new challenger is even unveiled to the public, with the successful bidder becoming the proud owner of a chassis campaigned by one of the team’s F1 drivers, Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, during the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. These three special lots include a package of perks and privileged access, offering the unique opportunity to place yourself at the heart of McLaren Racing’s on-track endeavours.
  • Jane Birkin’s most personal Birkin bag – one of only five ever made for the legendary actress and style icon who was both the eponym and inspiration for the bag (est. $240,000 – 440,000)
  • The largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond in the world (est. $5 – 7 million)
  • The first complete set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 ever to be offered at auction (est. $10 – 20 million)
  • Four rare, high-performance bicycles from the legendary Italian manufacturer and four-time Tour de France winner, Colnago
  • Two extraordinary properties, one in the French Riviera, the other – designed by Zaha Hadid – in Austria

Alongside the remarkable auction offerings will be an exceptional showcase of rare diamonds, gemstones, high jewellery, handbags, and watches – together valued at over $100m and all available for private sale, including:

  • The largest flawless diamond in the world
  • The largest deep green diamond in the world
  • A highly important ruby necklace and earring set by Harry Winston, presented alongside a curated selection of other extraordinary jewels
  • Coveted Birkin and Kelly handbags
  • Modern timepieces by renowned makers such as Rolex and Patek Philippe
Boucheron, Emerald and Diamond Ring, estimate $300,000-500,000
Boucheron, Emerald and Diamond Ring, estimated $300,000-500,000

 

To complement the experience, Sotheby’s and ADIO will also be staging a landmark exhibition of Fine Art at the St Regis Hotel in Saadiyat, featuring one of the greatest drawings by Dutch master Rembrandt ever to come to market, and an adjacent exhibition of some of the most iconic works that have passed through Sotheby’s, including:

  • Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan), the artist’s likely final portrait, which achieved $108.4 million in 2023
  • দ্য Original Birkin bag, crafted for Jane Birkin by Hermès in 1985, which made a record-breaking $10.1 million earlier this year
  • দ্য Guennol Lioness, a 3-inch Mesopotamian limestone sculpture, which sold for $57 million in 2007, is still a record for any antiquity sold at auction
  • Banksy’s Girl Without Balloon, the artwork that famously began to self-shred moments after the hammer fell, instantly transforming it into a live performance and global media sensation
Patek Philippe, A platinum perpetual calendar split seconds chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, leap year and day and night indication, estimate $250,000-350,000
Patek Philippe, A platinum perpetual calendar split seconds chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, leap year, and day and night indication, estimated $250,000-350,000

Collectors’ Week will also be a destination for discovery and conversation, offering a series of talks and panel discussions – all free and open to the public – with leading voices from across art and luxury. The programme spans over a dozen sessions, from “Jewellery Is Art” with Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle, to “The Legacy of Picasso” with the artist’s granddaughter and art historian Diana Picasso, and “The Icon Behind the Birkin,” a conversation with Marisa Meltzer about her recent acclaimed biography of Jane Birkin.

At the same time, throughout the week-long exhibition, Sotheby’s specialists will host daily masterclasses on jewellery and handbags, offering visitors an in-depth look into the art of collecting. Through these sessions, attendees will gain a greater appreciation of craftsmanship and provenance, and perhaps even be inspired to embark on their own collecting journeys.

And for extra stardust, Damson Idris, star of this summer’s global blockbuster movie F1, and Amna Al Qubaisi, the first female racing driver from the United Arab Emirates to compete internationally in motorsport, headline Sotheby’s campaign video created to promote Collectors’ Week. The campaign video, shot in one day around some of Abu Dhabi’s most recognisable landmarks, runs across social media channels, led by Sotheby’s platforms, supported by Abu Dhabi Retail and RM Sotheby’s until 6 December.

Jean-Luc Berrebi, Sotheby’s board member focused on expanding collaboration with the UAE, commented: “Abu Dhabi represents a powerful convergence of visionary ambitions, limitless opportunities, and cultural vibrancy. By expanding our footprint here, we’re strengthening long-standing relationships with preeminent partners and institutions and deepening the way we can meaningfully contribute to, and grow with, a region that is redefining global demand for art and luxury.”

COLLECTORS’ WEEK: A CLOSER LOOK

Five Major Auctions on 5 December

The Abu Dhabi week of exhibitions, talks, and handling sessions will culminate on 5 December with five consecutive live auctions, each one a major event in Sotheby’s global calendar.


LE VOYAGEUR: JANE BIRKIN’S HANDBAG

5:45 pm GST

A single-lot sale featuring Jane Birkin’s Le Voyageur – a one-of-a-kind black Hermès Birkin owned by Jane Birkin and replete with hand-written notes, written inside the bag in silver ink by Jane Birkin herself, including ‘Mon Birkin bag qui m’a accompagné dans le monde entier.'

One of only four Birkin bags gifted to Jane Birkin by Hermès after the sale of her original prototype bag in 1994, this example was used by her between 2003 and 2007. The bag also features closed bridges, a unique design element found only on the original Birkin prototype. Offered for sale with an estimate of $240,000 – 440,000, the bag originally sold at auction in 2007 to benefit the Human Rights Association and has remained in a private collection ever since.

Precision And Brilliance: Prestigious Jewels & Watches From An Important

Private Collection

Patek Philippe, Nautilus, A stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet, estimate $80,000-120,000
Patek Philippe, Nautilus, A stainless steel wristwatch with date and bracelet, estimated $80,000-120,000

Among the most prestigious single-owner sales of jewellery and watches to the market in decades, this collection – estimated to realise in excess of $20m – brings together rare diamonds, precious gemstones, vintage and contemporary signed pieces by celebrated jewellers, as well as rare vintage and modern timepieces, including:

  • দ্য Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 — one of the most technically sophisticated and aesthetically accomplished timepieces ever produced. Developed to mark the dawn of the new millennium, the Star Caliber 2000 represents the culmination of seven years of intensive research and innovation by the legendary Swiss manufacturer. Ranked as the third most complicated Patek Philippe watch in the world – surpassed only by Patek Philippe’s own Caliber 89 and the Henry Graves Supercomplication – the Star Caliber 2000 is estimated at $10 – 20 million – the second-highest estimate ever placed on a watch at auction, surpassed only by the Henry Graves Supercomplication, which sold at Sotheby’s in 2014 for a record-breaking $24 million.

RM SOTHEBY’S | ABU DHABI

8 pm GST

The Desert Rose, A pearl-shaped Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond, estimate $5-7m
The Desert Rose, A pearl-shaped Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink diamond, estimated $5-7m
  • দ্য Desert Rose – the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond in the world. First unveiled in Sotheby’s exhibition in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, the pear-shaped diamond – weighing an extraordinary 31.86 carats and radiating a unique, sunset-like blend of pink and orange- carries an estimate of $5 – 7 million.

Further highlights include:

  • An exceptionally rare and fresh to market Rolex “Oyster Albino” Daytona (est. $500,000 – 1 million)
  • An extraordinary Art Deco sapphire and diamond ring created by Tiffany & Co in 1930, adorned with a sensational Kashmir sapphire weighing 5.61 carats (est. $350,000 – 550,000)
  • And a dazzling Boucheron ring, featuring a striking 7.88 carat Colombian emerald (est. $300,000 – 500,000)

Coinciding with next month’s Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, RM Sotheby’s is set to make its highly anticipated debut with an extraordinary auction of 32 exceptional automobiles, expected to surpass a total value of $78 million.

Among the many extraordinary cars to be offered in this auction will be something entirely new: in a ground-breaking initiative (‘the Triple Crown Project’), Sotheby’s and McLaren Racing have come together to create a first-ever offering of three as-yet-unveiled and unraced competition cars:

  • In a world first, bidders will have the chance to acquire a 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team car months before the new challenger is even unveiled to the public (est. $10-20 million). The successful bidder will become the proud owner of a chassis campaigned by one of the team’s F1 drivers, Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, during the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, with delivery in 2028. In addition, a 2025 show car will be available for lease until the car’s arrival, and the buyer will be invited on a special tour of the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England.
  • This will be offered alongside a 2027 McLaren United AS racer – McLaren’s first LMDh hypercar from its debut season in the FIA World Endurance Championship season (est. $6-8 million), giving bidders the vanishingly rare opportunity of acquiring a top-flight 24 Hours of Le Mans racer.
  • Rounding out the trio of spectacular competition cars is an Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, to be driven by Pato O’Ward in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in May 2026 (est. $500,000 – 700,000). Pato O’Ward is a fan favorite and one of the top contenders in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He has a top-five position solidified in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship, currently sitting second among the stable of drivers.

As part of their purchase, buyers of each of these works will also enjoy special behind-the-scenes access with McLaren Racing and the associated events.

Also taking center stage at Collectors’ Week are two of the most significant supercars ever conceived by Gordon Murray, the legendary designer behind McLaren’s Formula 1 racing teams:

  • The iconic 1994 McLaren F1, chassis 014, originally delivered to the Brunei Royal Family and later fitted with the coveted High-Downforce Kit, is coming to market for the first time and is estimated to exceed $21 million. Signed by both Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, this car is an automotive legend, the like of which is rarely offered at public auction, and it is the first time such a car has ever been offered for auction within the GCC.
  • Joining it is the 2025 Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, chassis 035, the 35th of only 100 ever built, marking the first time a T.50 has been offered at auction, with an estimated value above $5 million.

To complement the live auction, RM Sotheby’s will also present – for exhibition only –  an icon of automotive history in Abu Dhabi:

A legendary 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car. On loan from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, this exceptional example – chassis number 00010/55 – is one of only 9 300 SLRs completed during this period. The 300 SLR racing sports cars are universally regarded as amongst the greatest jewels in motoring history,  embodying the pinnacle of 1950s engineering and design. The vehicle on display is part of the same exclusive family of 300 SLRs, which includes the famed 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, which made headlines in 2022 when it sold for €135,000,000, setting the record as the most valuable car ever sold at auction. Seeing such a car on display in Abu Dhabi is a rare opportunity.

Also sure to attract a lot of attention during Collectors’ Week is the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix–winning McLaren MP4/6, chassis MP4/6/1, driven to that famous victory by Ayrton Senna. One of the most significant Formula 1 cars ever built, the car is being offered through RM Sotheby’s online Sealed platform and is estimated at $12–$15 million USD.

Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions | Abu Dhabi

5 pm GST

CHANTEVENT_St Jean cap Ferrat, France_ uxury Real Estate_Listed at 35 million Euros_Sotheby's Concierge Auctions
CHANTEVENT_St Jean cap Ferrat, France_ uxury Real Estate_Listed at 35 million Euros_Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions

This Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions marks its inaugural appearance in the Middle East, presenting two marquee Sotheby’s International Realty listings, together expected to achieve starting bids between €18M and €27million, including:

  • A breathtaking waterfront estate in one of southern France’s most coveted enclaves. Listed at €35m, this Mediterranean sanctuary in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat – located 30 minutes east of Nice in the French Riviera – commands 680 square meters of refined living space in 0.72 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens planted with indigenous species. Spectacular sea views unfold from every level of this thoughtfully designed residence, where the main villa’s luxury seamlessly integrates with independent guest accommodations. Seven en-suite bedrooms include a magnificent primary suite with unobstructed Mediterranean panoramas, while a separate 75-square-meter apartment offers privacy for guests. The infinity pool merges with endless azure horizons, complemented by a 60-square-meter pool house and dedicated wellness center featuring a hammam and sauna.

The remarkable car helped  Senna deliver his emotional first home victory and secure his third and final Formula 1 World Championship.

ARGOS by Zaha Hadid _ Luxury Real Estate _ listed at 19 million Euros_Sotheby's Concierge Auctions
ARGOS by Zaha Hadid _ Luxury Real Estate _ listed at 19 million Euros_Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions

An architectural masterpiece by the legendary Zaha Hadid in the heart of Graz, Austria’s celebrated cultural capital. Listed at €19m, ARGOS is a fully operational, boutique apartment hotel combining iconic design, prime location, and proven hospitality performance. Conceived by legendary designer Zaha Hadid, the contemporary masterpiece embodies Hadid’s visionary aesthetic, with flowing lines, geometric precision, and a sculptural façade that anchors the surrounding UNESCO World Heritage district. Spanning approximately 1,942 square meters, the property features 21 serviced apartments and three fully leased retail units. Inside, the fully furnished serviced apartments, each ranging from approximately 30 to 80 square meters, offer elegant interiors managed by the prestigious Limehome brand. The property’s crown jewel, a spectacular penthouse residence with panoramic views of Graz, offers potential as either a private retreat or premium long-term rental.

Cycling: 21 November – 5 December

Reflecting the growing enthusiasm for cycling across the Middle East — both as a sport and a statement of style — Sotheby’s presents an extraordinary selection of four rare, high-performance bicycles from the legendary Italian manufacturer and four-time Tour de France winner, Colnago. For enthusiasts and collectors seeking the pinnacle of cycling excellence, this exclusive auction offers the chance to acquire not merely bicycles but a piece of history, in these masterpieces of innovation, heritage, and design.

The online auction, open for bidding from 21 November to 5 December, features one-of-a-kind models, including competition-ridden bikes that embody the spirit and craftsmanship of the sport at its highest level, including:

  • Tadej Pogacar’s Tour de France-winning Colnago Y1Rs “Stripped Black”, unveiled on the iconic Mont Ventoux (stage 16 of the 2025 Tour de France). Referred to internally by the Team and Colnago as the “Y1Rs Stripped Black”, in reference to the aero frame which has been stripped of paint to save precious grams, this bike is the living proof of marginal gains. Complete with Tadej Pogačar’s lucky “Hulk” sticker on the stem, this bike represents a piece of cycling history from the era-defining 2025 season, ridden by a talent widely tipped to rival Eddy Merckx’s legendary legacy. (Est. $15 – 20,000)
  • Eddy Merckx is widely accepted as being the greatest rider in the history of the sport. His palmarès remains staggering: five Tours de France, five Giri d’Italia, a Vuelta a España, three World Championships, and an unprecedented dominance across Classics and stage races alike. Few names carry such weight; fewer still are tied to moments as defining as the Hour Record, arguably the most gruelling challenge in cycling. Colnago has painstakingly restored a track frame from the 1972 season when Merckx set the new Hour Record of 49.431km. Restored using the exact geometry and dimensions of the bike on which he set the record in Mexico City in October 1972, the frame features clean geometry, cold-drawn triple butted Columbus SL-derived tubing and reinforced seat stays – a testament to the engineering principles of the era: purity, stiffness and above all, speed. (Est. $15 – 20,000)
  • A limited-edition Colnago C35 from 1989, released to mark the brand’s 35th anniversary and born from the groundbreaking collaboration between two great friends and masters of speed and style, Ernesto Colnago and Enzo Ferrari. One of the first frames ever made as a carbon fibre monocoque, under Ferrari’s technical guidance, this rare, rideable masterpiece features a gold Campagnolo Super Record groupset and in-house Colnago 5-spoke carbon fibre wheels, cementing its status as an icon of cycling history and beauty, complete with “Ferrari Engineering” on the seat tube. (Est. $15 – 20,000)
  • A Colnago C68 Rossa No. 1, ridden by UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Joāo Almeida as he finished 2nd overall in the 2025 La Vuelta a España. Limited to just 80 framesets in this exclusive “Rossa” finish and made specifically to honour La Vuelta. The C68 Rossa No. 1 is the closing chapter of Colnago’s remarkable C68 Limited Edition Grand Tour trilogy, which has previously celebrated the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. Number 1 of 80. (Est. $15 – 20,000)

Fine Art Exhibitions,  2 – 6 December

Icons: Abu Dhabi

Visitors to the four-day event will also have the opportunity to experience a special retrospective non-selling exhibition of some of the most high-profile and important works of art and objects sold by Sotheby’s over the last six decades. Conceived to celebrate the opening of Sotheby’s new worldwide headquarters at the Breuer building on Madison Avenue in New York, the exhibition, Sotheby’s Icons, will debut with a taster exhibition in Abu Dhabi, featuring 10 key works, the majority will go on to feature in an exhibition in New York from 12-13 December 2025, and several will be showcased exclusively in Abu Dhabi.

Banksy, Girl Without Balloon
Banksy, Girl Without Balloon

Among the works to be shown are:

  • Banksy’s self-shredding, re-titled Girl Without Balloon, the artwork that famously shredded itself in 2018 moments after the hammer fell at auction, turning a live sale into a viral global spectacle; the work was resold in 2021 for $25.4 million, setting the current auction record for Banksy
  • Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) – believed to be the artist’s final portrait – is a luminous and captivating depiction of an unnamed woman, which captured global attention in 2023 when it sold for $108.4 million, becoming the most valuable work of art ever sold at auction in Europe.
  • Piet Mondrian’s Composition No. II, a masterwork from 1930, encapsulating the pinnacle of the artist’s signature abstract geometric compositions, sold in 2022 for $51 million, an auction record for the artist

When the painting was sold at auction in 1983, it achieved the highest price ever paid at the time for a work by Mondrian and for a work of abstract art.

  • Jane Birkin’s Original Hermès Birkin – Hermès has become synonymous with luxury itself. The most coveted and elusive handbag in the world, its desirability is built on rarity, craftsmanship, and the mythology surrounding it. Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin, sold for over $10 million in Paris in July, is not only a symbol of fashion history but also of how an object can transcend its function to become an icon of aspiration and identity. Works shown exclusively in Abu Dhabi include:
  • দ্য Guennol Lioness, a 3-inch Mesopotamian limestone sculpture, which sold for $57 million in 2007 and still holds the record for any ancient work of art at auction
  • Andy Warhol’s Nine Marilyns, the ultimate embodiment of the artist’s obsession with the cult of celebrity and the tragedy of death, sold for $47.3 million from the prestigious Macklowe collection in 2021.

Fine Art Exhibitions, 2 - 6 December

 

Rembrandt’s Young Lion Resting

Alongside the Icons exhibition, Sotheby’s will also bring to Abu Dhabi a masterpiece by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn: Young Lion Resting — a drawing so fine and powerful, and whose subject matter is so rare, that it ranks among the greatest Old Master drawings ever to have come to auction:

The finest drawing by the artist to come to auction in half a century, Young Lion Resting, is one of only six drawings by Rembrandt depicting lions; the other five reside in some of the world’s leading museums. Executed circa 1638–42, the drawing unites the two aspects of Rembrandt’s genius that define his artistic legacy: his ability to understand and convey the beauty and movement of the natural world, and his gift for capturing the soul and personality of his sitters.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Young Lion Resting, ca. 1638–42, Black chalk with white chalk heightening and grey wash on brown laid paper, 115 x 150 mm
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Young Lion Resting, ca. 1638–42, Black chalk with white chalk heightening and grey wash on brown laid paper, 115 x 150 mm

Encapsulating the qualities of power, nobility, and stateliness for which the lion has been revered universally throughout history, this masterpiece of draughtsmanship has resided for over two decades in the most important private collection of 17ম-century Dutch and Flemish art in the world – the Leiden Collection, which in 2019, was exhibited at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Carrying an estimate of $15-20 million, the drawing will now come to sale at Sotheby’s New York on February 4, 2026, with proceeds destined to benefit Panthera, the world’s leading organization devoted to the conservation of wild cats.

“Beyond the mastery of draughtsmanship, the medium itself is key to this work’s success. There’s an immediacy and intimacy to drawings — as though we’re looking over the artist’s shoulder. Here, the lion, captured from life with extraordinary energy and skill, comes alive in every stroke.” – Gregory Rubinstein, Worldwide Head of Old Master Drawings at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s in the UAE

In October 2024, ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, announced a minority equity investment in সোথবি'স, marking the largest investment in the global art industry since the acquisition of the auction house by Patrick Drahi in 2019.

The investment has opened the doors to establishing an even more robust presence in the region, and Sotheby’s has since officially incorporated in Abu Dhabi, with a physical presence that sits alongside a network of offices around the world. This inaugural auction series is part of a significant plan to expand Sotheby’s footprint further. This April, Sotheby’s collaborated with ADIO to present a spectacular array of diamonds at the Bassam Freiha Foundation in Abu Dhabi, with over $100 million of rare, coloured gems on view to the public in an unprecedented moment.

Most recently, in October, Sotheby’s marked a historic moment with its first public Fine Art exhibition in Abu Dhabi, hosted at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation. The show brought together a group of masterworks collectively valued at $150 million, featuring six of the most revered names in art history — from Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin to Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch, René Magritte, and Camille Pissarro.

THE ABU DHABI INVESTMENT OFFICE

As the government vehicle responsible for accelerating Abu Dhabi’s economic growth, ADIO’s retail development initiatives ensure that liveability and community well-being are at the centre of economic diversification efforts. ADIO is committed to building a robust বিলাসিতা retail landscape, defined by innovative consumer experiences, exclusive product offerings, and a thriving collector’s market.

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