Binzagr artwork sets Saudi auction record
Pioneering Saudi artist’s 1968 work fetches $2.1 million, marking a historic auction milestone
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (MNTV) — A landmark painting by pioneering Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr has sold for $2.1 million at Sotheby’s “Origins II” auction in Riyadh, setting a new auction record for a Saudi artist and marking the highest-priced artwork ever sold at auction in the Kingdom.
The 1968 work, Coffee Shop in Madina Road, achieved a hammer price of $1.65 million, with the final figure including the buyer’s premium.
The sale nearly doubled the previous record for a Saudi artist and placed the work among the top three highest prices ever paid for an Arab artist at auction.
The painting emerged as the leading lot of the evening at Sotheby’s second auction staged in Saudi Arabia, which featured 62 modern and contemporary works by Saudi, regional and international artists.
According to Sotheby’s, collectors from more than 40 countries participated in the sale, with roughly one-third of the lots acquired by buyers based inside Saudi Arabia.
The auction generated a total of $19.6 million, exceeding pre-sale estimates and bringing combined sales from “Origins” and “Origins II” to more than $32 million.
Saudi artists played a central role in the results. All nine Saudi works offered were sold, achieving a combined value of $4.3 million, significantly above expectations.
Ashkan Baghestani, Sotheby’s head of contemporary art for the Middle East, said the outcome highlighted the growing global interest in Saudi art and the auction house’s strategy in the Kingdom.
He noted that Binzagr recorded the highest total of any artist on the night, describing the result as a sign of long-overdue recognition for Saudi pioneers.
Additional auction records were set during the sale, including for Egyptian artist Ahmed Morsi and Sudanese artist Abdel Badie Abdel Hay.
Works by Saudi modernist Mohammed Al-Saleem also performed strongly, with a 1989 untitled piece selling for $756,000 and Flow (1987) achieving $630,000.
The auction also marked debut appearances for several artists, while international highlights included works by Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Anish Kapoor.
Picasso’s Paysage sold for $1.6 million, becoming the second most valuable artwork ever auctioned in Saudi Arabia.
The sale coincided with the opening week of Riyadh’s Contemporary Art Biennale, reinforcing the capital’s expanding role as a regional hub for major cultural events and the global art market.
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