Sotheby’s Heads to Abu Dhabi: Inside the First Collector’s Week

Culture meets connoisseurship this winter as Sotheby’s stages its first-ever Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi, 2–5 December. Over four days, the capital will host an ambitious programme of auctions, masterclasses, panels, and exhibitions, an unprecedented showcase that places Abu Dhabi firmly on the global luxury and cultural map.

The timing is no accident. With its constellation of world-class institutions - think Louvre Abu Dhabi, the soon-to-open Guggenheim, and Zayed National Museum - Saadiyat Island has become the UAE’s cultural epicentre. The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort will serve as home base for much of the week’s activity, culminating in Sotheby’s main auction against the backdrop of the Gulf.

“By any measure, Abu Dhabi has become a leading global destination for culture and luxury,” notes Katia Nounou Boueiz, Head of Sotheby’s UAE & Deputy Chairman, Middle East. Noora Al Foulathi, Head of Abu Dhabi Retail, adds: “With the exclusive debut of Collectors’ Week in the capital, we unveil more than rare and exceptional pieces; we reaffirm the city’s cultural depth, shaped by the quiet power of true luxury.”

Jean-Luc Berrebi, Sotheby’s board member focused on expanding collaboration with the UAE, echoes this vision: “Sotheby’s incorporation in Abu Dhabi marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to the UAE and the wider Middle East. This strategic move reflects our deep confidence in the region’s dynamic cultural landscape and our growing partnerships with its visionary leaders, collectors, and institutions. We look forward to contributing meaningfully to the UAE’s vibrant art ecosystem and expanding our presence across the region.”

Anchored by a landmark single-owner sale of jewellery, watches, and automobiles, Collectors’ Week promises treasures spanning the full spectrum of connoisseurship. Highlights include a collaboration with McLaren Racing, offering three future competition cars (yes, before they are fully unveiled or raced) among them a 2026 Formula 1 machine. Other rarities include the one-off Pagani Zonda 760 Riviera (estimate: $9.5 – 10.5 million) and an Aston Martin One-77, one of only 77 examples constructed (estimate: $1.3 – 1.6 million).

For jewellery lovers, the star lot is The Desert Rose: a 31.86-carat Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond, the largest of its kind ever graded, expected to fetch $5 – 7 million. Timepiece collectors, meanwhile, will vie for an “Oyster Albino” Rolex Daytona (reference 6263), a grail watch made legendary when Eric Clapton’s example appeared at auction nearly two decades ago (estimated $500.000 - 1 million).

This ambitious December showcase is also perfectly aligned with one of Abu Dhabi’s busiest cultural weeks, when the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit 2025, Abu Dhabi Finance Week, and Bitcoin MENA descend on the city. As Josh Pullan, Global Head of Sotheby’s Luxury Division, puts it: “This unprecedented auction week  – and all of the events that will lead up to it – is poised to showcase the very best of what Sotheby’s has to offer. With the Middle East, and the UAE in particular, as one of the most dynamic drivers of the luxury industry, we could have chosen no better home than Abu Dhabi.”

Courtesy: Sotheby's

Text: Lidia Ageeva