DUBAI: Christie’s inaugural fine art auction in Abu Dhabi has generated $8.94 million, marking the auction house’s strongest evening result for modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art in more than a decade. The sale, titled “MAWASIM: 20 Years of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art,” featured 70 lots by 58 artists representing 13 countries. The event also marked 20 years since Christie’s held its first auction in the UAE, which took place in Dubai in 2006. The results also pointed to growing interest among younger collectors, with millennials and Gen Z accounting for more than 30 percent of registrants. Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian achieved the highest price of the evening, with her 2006 work “Variations on the Hexagon” selling for $844,800. The final price was more than three times the artwork’s upper estimate of $250,000, following almost seven minutes of competitive bidding. Other notable results included Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid’s “Composition” (1948–1949), which sold for $524,800, while Iraqi artist Faisel Laibi Sahi’s “Baghdad Cafe (The Coffee Shop)” (2016) and Iranian artist Ali Banisadr’s “Homo Deus” (2018) each achieved $512,000. Three works reached $486,400: Armenian-Lebanese painter Paul Guiragossian’s “Noces (Wedding)” (1958–1959), Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said’s “Portrait de Princesse Fadia” (1952) and Zeid’s “Endless Thoughts,” dating to the 1970s. Palestinian artist Samia Halaby’s “Yesterday” (1978) sold for $358,400, while Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki’s “Babel Tower” (2012) achieved $281,600. Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri’s “Untitled” (2003) rounded out the 10 highest-selling works at $230,400.