DUBAI: Throughout August, Sotheby’s is hosting “Hafla,” a series of sales billed as a “celebration of Middle Eastern art.”

“Hafla” includes four exhibitions: “Khamseen: 50 Years of Saudi Fine Art,” “Masarat Al-Hibr: Exceptional Quranic and Calligraphic Works from the Bashir Mohamed Family Collection,” “A2Z Advisory Jewelry at Sotheby’s,” and an exclusive capsule collection of handbags with Saudi-inspired designs.

“Khamseen,” says Alexandra Roy, Sotheby’s sales director for the modern and contemporary Middle East, is the largest component of “Hafla.” Curated in collaboration with Jeddah’s Hafez Gallery and its founder Qaswra Hafez, the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints and installations from the 1960s to the present.

“We have known Qaswra Hafez for a long time and he has been thinking about this project for a long time,” says Roy. “It is long overdue. There have been some great exhibitions in London on Saudi visual culture and of course there is a lot happening in the Kingdom right now. It is a great moment to be part of it.”

“Sotheby’s was part of the two art biennials in Saudi Arabia, so we’re continuing here,” she adds. “We have 60 artists (represented) and some of the works are on display for the first time. We go back to about 1965 and it was difficult to find works from that period, but we really wanted to show works by the pioneers.”

“I didn’t actually know many of these artists, but I read about them and it’s quite incredible. Many of them were sent abroad on scholarships and studied in Italy and France. Then they came back and were responsible for organizing exhibitions themselves. And even after 1979 – the time when the kingdom became more conservative – the artists continued their work. They supported each other.”

The exhibition also shows, says Roy, how today’s artists in the Kingdom “respond to the global support they are now receiving.”

However, she stresses that “Khamseen” is just an “introductory show”. “We could have gone much deeper. I hope it is the first step to even more.”

The other major Saudi influence at Hafla is evident in the capsule collection of handbags designed by British luxury brand Asprey in collaboration with Nuun, the jewelry house founded by Princess Nourah Alfaisal.

“We have been in contact with Princess Nourah for a number of years. She is such an interesting personality who pursues a variety of personal projects,” says Sophie Stevens, Director and Jewellery Specialist MENA at Sotheby’s. “She is a very, very well-known figure in the Saudi cultural scene. She was enormously excited when she heard about this exhibition because it is a great platform to talk about these initiatives. We are hosting several events, lectures and educational initiatives with her during ‘Hafla’.”

“Earlier this year she worked very closely with Asprey to create five designs for their 1781 Asprey Pochette bag, using textiles based on the five major regions of Saudi Arabia,” Stevens continues. “And we thought, as part of this initiative in luxury, it was just perfect to blend the Saudi heritage with one of Britain’s oldest luxury houses.”

The other part of the luxury side of “Hafla” is the collaboration with A2Z, founded in 2018 by Abdulrahman Al-Zayani, whom Stevens describes as the leading jewelry and art consultant in the Gulf.

“We’re taking over Sotheby’s salon space on New Bond Street and we’re going to exhibit about 140 pieces that are inspired by, or have some connection to, Eastern design,” she says. “So we’ve got some great designs from the last century or so – some great Art Deco pieces, phenomenal colored stones, great diamonds, and then we’ve also got some of the leading contemporary designers right now. It’s a great mix. And we’re going to have some educational talks again. We’re doing one with (Al-Zayani) on the art of collecting. It’s going to be great to explore that subject with him.”

The final part, “Hafla,” presents 28 calligraphic and Quran-related works from the family collection of pioneering Islamic art expert Bashir Mohamed.

“We start with the earliest examples of the script, from the 9th century, and go up to contemporary versions in the 21st century,” says Frankie Keyworth, a specialist in Islamic and Indian art. “It’s a mix of Quranic leaves and calligraphic secular leaves to trace how the script was developed and how each region created its own identity by using the script in some of their works.”

Keyworth highlights two works as particularly special: a bifolium from the famous Blue Quran and an illuminated firman (mandate) with the tughra (a calligraphic monogram that served as an official signature) of Suleiman the Magnificent from 1565 AD.

Of the former, Keyworth says: “We have seen single leaves of the (Blue Quran) at auctions or exhibitions, but it is really exciting to own a double leaf because you get a true sense of its size and how impressive it was.”

Keyworth describes the Ferman as “so, so intricate, so delicately illuminated. You see this beautiful interaction – how the calligraphic monogram comes together with the decoration and creates this independent work of art.”

Hafla opened at a time when Britain was experiencing social unrest, largely due to right-wing groups stoking Islamophobia. And while the sale was planned well in advance, the timing of a showcase of Middle Eastern culture is particularly apt.

“I think it’s hugely important and a very powerful way to facilitate greater exchange and cultural understanding,” says Stevens. “I’m also really looking forward to the educational aspect because I think it will lead to a lot more understanding.”