Marhala: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection

Christie’s is honoured to announce Marhala: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection taking place on 9 November. This exceptional evening auction showcasing 48 exceptional artworks from the Dalloul Art Collection in Beirut, Lebanon, is an immersive journey through modern and contemporary Arab art history. Formed by the late visionary art collector Dr. Ramzi Dalloul and his wife, Saeda El Husseini, and advanced by their son, Dr. Basel Dalloul, the Dalloul Art collection is unparalleled in its depth and reflects an extraordinary level of connoisseurship. Their decades of travel across the Arab region and deep relationships with artists have shaped a collection that boldly celebrates Arab artistic diversity and culture.

The evening sale is led by Mahmoud Said's Fille à l'imprimé (Girl in a printed dress), an iconic masterpiece previously held in the collection of Hussein Pasha Sirry and exhibited four times during Said's lifetime, notably at the 1939 Salon du Caire. Other significant works include a striking 1974 abstract by Kadhim Hayder, Dia Azzawi's Summeria Face which was one of the highlights of the recent exhibition Beirut and the Golden Sixties, a distinctive Mohamed Melehi painting from the 1980s, and a mystifying Marionette by Marwan painted in 2014. The collection has a strong Lebanese contingent including exceptional works by Etel Adnan, Helen Khal, Paul Guiragossian, Shafic Abboud and Chaouki Choukini. The contemporary section highlights leading artistic figures of the region such as Ibrahim El Salahi, Ayman Baalbaki, Ahmed Mater, and the Palestinian artist Samia Halaby, with a monumental composition painted in 2014 and a captivating geometric work from 1978. 

Explore Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art

Tour
Christie’s Dubai
23–26 October

Viewing
Christie’s London
Early highlights | 21–26 October
Full view | 1–9 November