a href="/myfiles/Images/2013/11/19/ki11_big.jpg" title="A packed room at "The Young Collectors Auction," right: Khaled Samawi, cofounder of Ayyam Gallery, heads the auction in Jeddah. — SG photos " A packed room at "The Young Collectors Auction," right: Khaled Samawi, cofounder of Ayyam Gallery, heads the auction in Jeddah. — SG photos Selma Roth Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The first art auction to take ever place in the Kingdom has been a partial failure due to censorship issues with the authorities. Ayyam Gallery on Tuesday hosted their “Young Collectors Auction” for the first time in Jeddah to encourage art lovers to start a collection of contemporary Middle Eastern art. However, 23 of the 38 pieces had been censured by the authorities. Head of Session and Auctioneer Khaled Samawi nevertheless called it a success. “The room was full; that was very encouraging,” Samawi said following the auction, adding that people had come to support them. Regarding the censorship problems they had faced, he said those were issues they would need to address before organizing a next auction in the Kingdom. “Next time, we make sure that we coordinate better with the authorities in charge of this to make sure we have a full sale,” he said, lamenting that some people had come in vain with other pieces on their mind to buy. As such, a date for the next auction in the Kingdom has not yet been set. “First of all, (we need to) make sure that we are on the same wavelength as the authorities who censured us today before we do an auction again.” However, Samawi was confident they would succeed in that and hoped another sale would be organized in spring 2014. The paintings that were auctioned were sold for prices ranging from SR13,000 to SR32,000. “The Young Collectors Auction” organized by Ayyam Gallery is a platform that kicked off in 2009 in Dubai to introduce people to new or established artists at an entry point level in order to entice them to start collecting art. “We try to curate good quality art and make sure the prices are reasonable, so that people are encouraged to start a Middle Eastern collection,” said Samawi. Founded in Damascus in 2006 by Khaled and Hisham Samawi, Ayyam Gallery exhibits and promotes contemporary art from Middle Eastern artists. It currently has spaces in Damascus, Beirut, Dubai, London, and Jeddah.
