Safeya Binzagr’s Coffee Shop on Madina Road has set a new auction record for a Saudi artist, selling for $2.1 million at Sotheby’s Origins II auction in Diriyah.
The result places the work among the three highest prices ever achieved for an Arab artist at auction, according to Sotheby’s, and marks the most valuable artwork sold at auction in Saudi Arabia to date. Previous benchmark results cited by major auction reporting include seven-figure sales by Saudi modernist Mohammed Al Saleem and high-value modern works by Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said.
Sotheby’s Origins II sale brought together nine works by Saudi artists and a wider group of Middle Eastern artists alongside international names including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Anish Kapoor, and James Turrell.
All Saudi works offered were sold, collectively realising $4.3 million, far exceeding pre-sale expectations. In total, the auction achieved $19.6 million, with participation from collectors in more than forty countries.
While a lot of the attention gravitated toward the international masters, the strongest narrative of the night came from Saudi and regional artists whose works exceeded estimates and, in several cases, established new auction benchmarks.
Check out the complete list of works by Saudi and regional artists that went under the hammer at Sotheby’s Origins II and how much they sold for.
Untitled (Camel Race) by Mohamed Siam
$94,500
One of the most prominent figures of Saudi Arabia’s second generation of modern artists, Mohamed Siam is known for documenting everyday life and cultural practices. This early auction appearance reflects his focus on movement, ritual, and social memory.
Deux Pêcheurs (Two Fishermen) by Ahmed Morsi
$189,000
Painted by one of Egypt’s most influential modern artists, this work reflects Morsi’s engagement with symbolism, the human figure, and the sea which has long been a recurring subject in his work.
Untitled (Hajj Arafah) by Abdulhalim Radwi
$214,200
Radwi was a central figure in the formation of modern Saudi art, often blending religious themes with modernist abstraction. This work reflects Radwi’s interest in exploring a spiritual and symbolic elements in one work.
La Palma (The Palma) by Dia Aziz Dia
$226,800
Saudi artist Dia Aziz Dia’s work merges architectural abstraction with symbolic references to place and history. Awarded multiple prizes during his career, his paintings often compress memory, geometry, and landscape into dense compositions.
Copper by Samia Halaby
$315,000
A pioneer of Arab abstract art, Palestinian American artist Samia Halaby’s work is grounded in colour theory, motion, and political consciousness. Copper reflects her sustained interest in materiality and rhythmic structure, developed through decades of painting and digital experimentation.
Divine Winds by Ali Banisadr
$315,000
Iranian artist Ali Banisadr’s densely layered paintings draw on Persian miniature traditions, mythology, and contemporary psychology. His compositions often suggest movement and instability, shaped by his early experiences of war and displacement.
Demonstration by Mahmoud Sabri
$403,200
A key figure in the Iraqi modern art movement, Sabri was deeply invested in Marxist theory and social realism. This rare masterwork reflects his belief in art as a tool for political and collective expression.
Flow (1987) by Mohammed Al Saleem
$630,000
Associated with the Saudi modernist movement and the “horizon” school, Al Saleem’s abstract works are rooted in desert landscapes and spiritual concepts. This sale follows his earlier auction record set in London in 2023.
Untitled (1989) by Mohammed Al Saleem
$756,000
This later work demonstrates Al Saleem’s refined abstract language, combining colour fields and spatial depth. The result significantly exceeded its estimate, reinforcing his position within Saudi modern art history.
Coffee Shop on Madina Road by Safeya Binzagr
$2,063,000
Binzagr’s painting documents social life in mid-century Saudi Arabia, part of her lifelong effort to preserve cultural memory through art. The work’s provenance and subject matter contributed to its landmark result, establishing a new auction record for a Saudi artist.