Christie's held its first-ever evening sale in Abu Dhabi, which closed with total sales of $8.94 million — the highest evening total for modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art in more than a decade, according to the auction house. The sale, held at The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel, featured 70 lots by 58 artists from 13 countries.

The auction set nine new records, including category records for Armenian-Lebanese painter Paul Guiragossian and Palestinian artist Samia Halaby. The top lot of the night was Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian's "Variations on the Hexagon" (2006), which sold for $844,800. It was followed by Fahrelnissa Zeid's "Composition" (1948-1949) at $524,800, and two works by Faisel Laibi Sahi and Ali Banisadr, each selling for $512,000.

Anthea Peers, Christie's president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the house was "absolutely thrilled" to see bidding from across its global client base that evening. More than 30 per cent of bidders were millennials or Gen Z, and 37 per cent were new to Christie's, the auction house said.

The results underline Abu Dhabi's growing standing in the international art market, positioning the emirate as an increasingly attractive destination for collectors and new buyers of Middle Eastern art.