Contemporary Arab, Iranian and International Art

TAG Heuer, one of the most desired brands in the luxury watch industry will be the exclusive sponsor for the auction.

“We are delighted about our partnership with TAG Heuer, a pioneer Swiss watchmaker. It’s a great brand with a very strong presence in the Gulf and we are happy to associate both of our activities in the promotion of emerging, as well as well established artists from the region and all over the world. The sponsorship allowed us to prepare our third auction of contemporary Arab, Iranian and international art and to secure top-quality works. We hope that this is the beginning of a long-term relationship with TAG Heuer and that we will collaborate on other art-related projects in the future” said Sheikha Lulu Al-Sabah, founder of JAMM.

The sale will be held on Thursday 29 November 2012 at the Contemporary Art Platform in Kuwait with pre-sale viewing on Wednesday 28 November 2012. Alexander Gilkes, former global marketing director and auctioneer for Phillips de Pury and co-founder of Paddle8, will conduct the auction.

Over 60 works in a variety of media by contemporary Arab, Iranian and international artists will be auctioned with the majority of lots estimated under $10,000, providing an opportunity for young collectors in the GCC region and beyond to start or to add to their collections of contemporary art.

The auction highlights include Amira Behbehani’s (b. 1964) recent oil painting Study of Francis Bacon (Men in Blue), 2012, estimated at $9,000–$10,500. Inspired by a series of 7 deep-blue canvases that the British artist painted in 1954, this work seeks to engage a debate on the political and religious views of wearing the abayya.

Among Iranian artists there is Shiva Ahmadi (b. 1975), whose Brown Veil, 2011 is a mixed media work on aquabord carrying the estimate of $17,000–$18,500. Golnaz Fathi’s (b. 1972) Untitled, 2007 – 2008, is a diptych masterfully combining Arabic calligraphy and strong brushstrokes of red and black (estimate $17,000– $18,500). Shahrzad Changalvaee’s (b. 1983) photographs Body #1, Motherland #4 and Me #1, 2010, from the Body Composition Remaining within Limited Domain series are offered as one lot estimated at $9,500–$11,000. The artist had the three words made from Plexiglas, put LED lights inside and took these pictures in the twilight – the lit up words defining and spotlighting people.

The highest value lot in the sale is Garden Party, 2011, by the acclaimed Iranian painter, musician and performance artist Reza Derakshani (b. 1952), a large (182 x 304 cm) oil painting in vibrant shades of red and pink executed in 2011 and estimated at $65,000–$95,000.

North Africa is represented by Lalla Essaydi (b. 1956) with two large-format color portraits from her Converging Territory series, 2003, estimated at $12,000–$13,500 each. Fifi Smoking, Cairo 2000, a rare photograph of the Egyptian belly dancer Fifi Abdou by Youssef Nabil carries the estimate of $15,000–$16,500. French-Algerian photographer Michel Haddi’s (b. 1956) Johnny Depp is a large-format portrait of the US movie star shot for Premiere magazine on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angels in 1992. This photograph was featured in JAMM’s inaugural exhibition Iconic Bionic in Dubai last March and is estimated at $15,000–$16,500.

The three wall-mounted sculptures and suspended installations by Pakistani artist Simeen Farhat (b. 1968) aim to translate the dynamism of Rumi’s poems into visual energy. Twisted Melody, 2010, Intent, 2011, and Red Spill, 2012, are estimated at $12,000–$13,500 and $8,500–$10,000 respectively.

International artists include Rachel Lee Hovnanian’s large-format photograph Fake Flowers, Living Room, 2012, estimated at $13,500–$15,000, and a unique print of Bert Stern’s (b. 1929) Marilyn in Red Scarf, 2012, a photograph of Marilyn Monroe from the famous Last Sitting with hand-applied jewels ($16,500– $18,000). Al Braithwaite’s (b. 1979) Hearts & Minds, 2012, is an intricate piece consisting of nine ‘heart- grenades,’ each having at its core a measure of soil drawn from sites of contemporary geopolitical significance such as Helmand, Cairo and Manhattan and acting as a receptacle for the history of these places ($15,000–$16,500).

Mashrabia Cabana, 2011, a 4 x 4 x 4 meter cabana inspired by traditional mashrabiyas, by Swiss architect and designer André C. Meyerhans blurs the boundaries between art, design and architecture and is estimated at $61,000– $62,500.

“We are very proud to be associated with JAMM. JAMM is helping to promote emerging artists and allow them to get a great visibility that they could hardly get otherwise. Through this, JAMM is also promoting the whole Middle East, showing to the world that there is a real artistic scene in this region. TAG Heuer has been pioneering the Swiss watchmaking for over 150 years, bringing to the industry some of its main innovations. TAG Heuer is today the only brand to master high frequencies with automatic watches able to display the 1/1000th and the 1/5000th of a second. This avant-garde is at the heart of TAG Heuer in all its aspects. And helping to promote contemporary artists, who are at the avant-garde of their art, is just for us a natural involvement. On a more personal note, we have been also convinced by the personality of Sheikha Lulu Al-Sabah. She embodies so well the TAG Heuer women: modern, daring, independent, giving back. She has decided to take risks, to create her own company, and to give back to her country by helping promoting it through arts.” commented Luc Decroix, General Manager of TAG Heuer Middle East.

About JAMM: Established in 2009, JAMM is an independent strategic art advisory service founded by Kuwait based art-journalist and former Middle East Director for Phillips de Pury Sheikha Lulu Al-Sabah. The mission of JAMM is to create cultural projects without geographical boundary by advancing Arab and Iranian artists in the West and Western artists in the East and by furthering collaboration between the two. Projects range from large-scale exhibitions and events to small-scale activities focuses on the development of the art market in the Middle East and other key regional markets. For more information on JAMM, please visit www.jamm-art.org

About TAG Heuer: Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has set many major milestones of high-end watchmaking, especially in the field of chronographs and ultimate precision. Today, one of the largest and most desired brands in the luxury watch industry, the Swiss legend draws upon its active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate timing instruments and watches in the world. TAG Heuer is the first watchmaker to master luxury chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/1.000th and 1/10.000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as official timekeeper for Formula One in the 1990s and the legendary Indy 500 race today, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance and prestige, continues to aim ever higher. This is reflected in itspartnerships with F1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and its World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, Audi Sport in the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race, and the Automobile Club de Monaco with the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix. Now actively engaged in the Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans 24 and the Indy 500, TAG Heuer is ‘’Mastering Speed’’ on motorsport’s 3 most iconic racetracks.

In 2011, the brand signed on as Official Watch and Timing Partner of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), and as Official Watch and Eyewear onboard Oracle Racing’s bid to defend its title in the world’s oldest sporting event — the America’s Cup yachting competition. More than ever, the brand epitomizes prestige and performance through active partnerships with Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, LPGA star Suzann Pettersen and WTA tennis champion Maria Sharapova. TAG Heuer is a privileged member of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive club in the Swiss watchmaking industry. TAG Heuer has been recognized for its responsible watchmaking practices by the Responsible Jewellery Council, which awarded the brand with full RJC Member Certification in 2011.The newest additions to the TAG Heuer legacy are: the Calibre 1887, an in-house, Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel chronograph movement that pays tribute to the original Heuer oscillating opinion of 1887, one of the brand’s first patents and a major benchmark in modern watchmaking; The TAG HEUER CARRERA 1887 CHRONOGRAPH, named the 2010 Swiss Watch of the Year in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève’s prestigious “La Petite Aiguille” (“Small Hand”) category; and the Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first ever column wheel integrated mechanical chronograph with 1/100th of a second display by a central hand, which pays tribute to the legendary Heuer Mikrograph stopwatch of 1916. At BaselWorld 2011, TAG Heuer unveiled the TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1.000, the only mechanical chronograph to measure and display the 1/1.000th of a second. The technological marvel was named the “2011 Swiss Watch of the Year” in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève’s prestigious “Sport” category, and the SIAR (Latin America’s most prestigious watchmaking award) “Best Concept of the Year”. TAG Heuer was also awarded in 2011 by REVOLUTION leading watch magazine both the « Best sportswatch » and « Best achievement » prizes. In January 2012, TAG Heuer pushed innovation further than science dreamed possible with the TAG HEUER MIKROGIRDER Concept: a 5/10.000th of a second chronograph beating at 1.000 Hz or 7.200.000 beats per hour. TAG Heuer also announced in March a new ambassador, Cameron Diaz, who will support the new LINK LADY collection.