Sotheby's brings to Abu Dhabi fabled art of revered constellation of artists

From October 1-2, Sotheby's, one of the world's premier destinations for art and luxury, is bringing to Abu Dhabi a group of masterworks - together valued at $150 million by six of the most revered names in art history - from Vincent van Gogh to Paul Gauguin, and from Frida Kahlo to Edvard Munch, René Magritte and Camille Pissaro. The two-day exhibition, to be held at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, will be a landmark: it will be the first public exhibition of Fine Art ever staged by Sotheby's in Abu Dhabi, and the most valuable exhibition of any kind ever staged by Sotheby's in the region.

- Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes) by Vincent Van Gogh. Edvard Munch's composition Midsummer Night's Eve. Camille Pissarro's Bords de L'Oise a Pontoise.

In addition to their quality and art historical importance, each of the works to be exhibited boasts an illustrious provenance, having long-resided in celebrated private collections. The striking landscape by Edvard Munch, for example, comes to auction from the collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of greatest collectors and benefactors of the arts in America, while the van Gogh and Gauguin paintings hung until recently in the Chicago home of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, tireless champions of the arts in all forms, whose impact on the cultural life of their home city is immense, and whose renowned prize for architecture has honoured many of the world's leading architects, including Jean Nouvel, designer of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Frank Gehry, architect of the new Abu Dhabi arm of the Guggenheim. The Pritzker collection also includes major works by Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Max Beckmann, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.