Rabat – An abstract geometric painting titled “the Blacks” by Moroccan artist Mohamed Melehi earned 30 bids and sold for £399,000 in Sotheby’s London online sale of 20th Century Middle Eastern Art on April 1.
Recently converted from a live auction to an online event, Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art sales totaled £2,193,625, the auction house said in a press release.
Moroccan modernist Mohamed Melehi led the event with his painting “the Blacks.” The abstract work from 1963 merges New York’s iconic cityscape with Morocco’s cultural richness.
“The Blacks” earned nearly seven times its original estimate, selling for £399,000 after receiving 30 bids.
Melehi achieved a record with the painting’s auction debut at more than double the previous benchmark price set in 2018.
Sotheby’s is an international auction house based in New York with a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries.
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