
Sotheby’s London is currently holding “Hafla,” a sale series known as “a celebration of Middle Eastern art.”
“Hafla,” the flagship event, boast four exhibitions:
- “Khamseen: 50 Years of Saudi Visual Art”
- “Masarat Al-Hibr: Exceptional Qur’anic and Calligraphic Works from the Bashir Mohamed Family Collection”
- “A2Z Advisory Jewelry at Sotheby’s”
- An exclusive capsule collection of handbags highlighting various designs inspired by Saudi Arabia
Organized in collaboration with Jeddah’s Hafez Gallery and its founder, Qaswra Hafez, the event features several paintings, sculptures, photography, prints and installations dating from the 1960s up to the present day.
Khamseen
“Khamseen” marks the largest exhibition in “Hafla,” according to Sotheby’s head of sale, modern and contemporary Middle East, Alexandra Roy.
“We’ve known Qaswra Hafez for a long time, and this has been a project that he’s been thinking about doing for a while. It’s very much overdue. There have been some amazing shows in London on Saudi visual culture and, of course, a lot is happening in the Kingdom right now. It’s an amazing moment to be part of that,” Roy said.
Roy indicated that Sotheby’s was part of the two art biennales in Saudi Arabia and the event features 60 artists, most of them were sent on scholarships abroad where they studied in Italy and France, and then came back and set up prestigious exhibitions.
She also added that “Khamseen” is merely an “introductory” show. “We could have dived so much deeper. I hope it will be the first step towards a few more.”
Capsule Collection of Handbags

The second exhibition features an exceptional collection of handbags created by the UK luxury brand Asprey in collaboration with Nuun, the jewelry house founded by Princess Nourah Alfaisal.
“We’ve been in touch with Princess Nourah for a number of years. She’s such an interesting personality who has a wide variety of personal projects. She’s a very, very prominent figure in the Saudi cultural scene. She was enormously excited when she heard about this exhibition, because it’s a great platform to speak about those initiatives. We’re doing several events and talks and educational initiatives with her during ‘Hafla,’” Sophie Stevens, director and jewelry specialist MENA for Sotheby’s, said.
A2Z Advisory Jewelry at Sotheby’s

‘Hafla’ also boasts A2Z Advisory Jewelry Exhibition by Abdulrahman Al-Zayani, the Gulf’s leading jewelry and art advisor according to Stevens.
“We’re taking over the Sotheby’s salon space on New Bond Street, and we’re going to be exhibiting about 140 pieces that are inspired by Eastern design or have some kind of connection. So, we’ve got some great designs from the last century or so — some great art deco pieces, phenomenal colored stones, great diamonds, and then we’ve also got some of the leading contemporary designers at the moment. It’s a great mix. And, again, we’ll be doing a few educational talks. We’re hosting one with (Al-Zayani), based on the art of collecting. It’ll be great to explore that topic with him,” Stevens said.
Masarat Al-Hibr

With 28 calligraphic and Qur’anic works, the exhibition highlights the family collection of the pioneering Islamic art expert Bashir Mohamed.
“We’re starting from the earliest examples of the script from the 9th century up until contemporary iterations in the 21st century. It’s a mix of Qur’anic leaves and calligraphic secular leaves, just to trace how the script was developed and how each region created its own identity by using the script in some of their works,” says Islamic and Indian art specialist Frankie Keyworth.

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