Among the exhibitions, “Khamseen” stands out as the most expansive, according to Alexandra Roy, Sotheby’s Head of Sale, Modern and Contemporary Middle East. This showcase, created in collaboration with Jeddah’s Hafez Gallery and its founder, Qaswra Hafez, presents a diverse array of works spanning from the 1960s to the present, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, and installations. “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,” Roy shared. “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.”

The exhibition is part of Sotheby’s ongoing involvement with Saudi Arabia’s art scene, having previously participated in the Kingdom’s two art biennales. “We have 60 artists represented, and it’s the first time some of these works have ever been seen. We go back to circa 1965, and it’s been difficult to source works from as early as that, but we really wanted to show work from the pioneers,” Roy explained. She emphasized that “Khamseen” is just an introductory exhibition, expressing hope that it will lead to deeper explorations in the future.

Another highlight of “Hafla” is the collaboration with UK luxury brand Asprey and Saudi jewelry house Nuun, founded by Princess Nourah Alfaisal. This partnership has produced a capsule collection of handbags inspired by Saudi Arabia’s five major regions. “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,” said Sophie Stevens, Director and Jewelry Specialist MENA for Sotheby’s. “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.”

The luxury segment of “Hafla” also includes a collaboration with A2Z, founded by Abdulrahman Al-Zayani, recognized as the Gulf’s leading jewelry and art advisor.

“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,” Stevens explained.

The final component of “Hafla” is the display of 28 Qur’anic and calligraphic works from the Bashir Mohamed Family Collection. These pieces, ranging from the 9th century to the contemporary era, showcase the evolution of Islamic script and regional identity. Frankie Keyworth, an Islamic and Indian art specialist, highlighted a bifolio from the Blue Qur’an and an illuminated firman from the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent as particularly noteworthy. Keyworth said, “We’ve seen individual leaves from the (Blue Qur’an) come to auction or appear in exhibitions, but having a bifolio is really exciting because it truly shows its scale and just how impressive it was.”

The timing of “Hafla” is significant, as it comes during a period of civil unrest in the UK, driven largely by right-wing groups promoting Islamophobia. Although planned well in advance, the event offers a timely opportunity for cultural exchange and understanding by celebrating Middle Eastern culture. “I think it’s hugely important and a very impactful way to open up greater exchanges and cultural understanding,” Stevens remarked, emphasizing the value of the educational initiatives that accompany the exhibitions.

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• The Heydar Aliyev Center is an important cultural centre in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, housed in an iconic building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It is located in a 10-hectare public park close to the Baku Convention Center.
• The centre takes its name from Heydar Aliyev (1923 – 2003), the national leader of Azerbaijan who is considered to be the founder of modern Azerbaijan.
• The centre is famous for its fluid shape, which the architects intended as a reaction to the rigid architecture of the Soviet era as well as a reference to Islamic calligraphy and elements of traditional Azeri architecture.
• Spanning eight levels, the array of column-free functional spaces of the centre is enclosed by a free-form curvilinear envelope made in Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyester.

Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, France

• The building of the Fondation Louis Vuitton is sited within the Jardin d’Acclimatation, a children-and-family-oriented garden part of the Bois de Boulogne – an 846-hectare public park created in the mid-19th century in the sixteenth arrondissement of Paris.
• Gehry’s design was inspired by both the traditional 19th-century glass-and-steel greenhouse architecture, and the image of a “sailing ship”.
• It is characterized by twelve large glass-and-steel “sails” enveloping a core, named “The Iceberg”, made in white Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.
• The Foundation’s building contains 11 galleries, storage areas, offices, education spaces, a museum store, a restaurant, and an auditorium – a concert hall which can accommodate from 350 to 1000 people depending on its configuration. A basin was also created around the Foundation to emphasize its dynamic forms and vessel-like appearance.

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The exhibition “Sacred Words, Timeless Calligraphy: Highlights of Exceptional Calligraphy from the Hamid Jafar Qur’an Collection,” organized by Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA), features a number of exquisite manuscripts that are being displayed for the first time ever, was opened on Monday by Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah Al Qasimi, chairman of the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority, Zaki Nusseibeh, cultural adviser to the president of the UAE, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, minister of health and prevention, Hamid Jafar, founder and chairman of the Sharjah-based Crescent Group of Companies, and Manal Ataya, director general of the Sharjah Museums Authority were all present at the opening.

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization will host the exhibition, which is a part of SMA’s initiatives to increase awareness of the history of Arabic calligraphy and its contribution to the development of the art scene, until March 19 of next year.

According to Manal Ataya, director general of Sharjah Museums Authority, “We are pleased to organize this exhibition, which reflects the great dedication of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi to making Islamic collections accessible and making sure they represent the diversity found in Islamic heritage.”

A selection of more than 50 extremely rare Quran manuscripts, including a painting and a rug, are on display in the exhibition. They span 14 centuries of Islamic civilization, from the Near East to China, South East Asia, Spain, and the Maghrib, and they show how Islam served as a unifying force and a source of inspiration for various cultures.

Pages from numerous massive Quran manuscripts that date from the period between the 2nd AH/ 8th CE centuries and the 4th AH/ 10th CE centuries are among the other items that illustrate the history of calligraphy and show new facets of the visual art of calligraphy.

The exhibited pieces demonstrate craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty in design, showcasing advancements over time and capturing the style of the place and time in which they were created.

This significant collection of rare Quranic manuscripts and calligraphy may now be seen thanks to the Crescent Group, which Jafar formed and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Additionally promoting the use of museums as learning spaces, SMA will be launching a number of educational initiatives in conjunction with the exhibition. These will consist of a variety of drop-in family workshops that will run continuously throughout the show.

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