The following Q&A appeared in Art+Auction’s August issue, which profiles the world’s top auction houses of 2016. ARTINFO will be publishing the articles from this issue over the next few days. Click here to see related stories from the issue. To find all our coverage of the 250 Best Auction Houses Worldwide, as well as ARTINFO’s top picks for the best in visual arts, architecture and design, performing arts, lifestyle, and culture and travel, visit our Top Lists page at blouinartinfo.com/toplists.AlBahieHeadquarters: Doha, QatarCorinne LefebvreDirectorOn April 5, AlBahie made its debut in the Qatari capital with an offering of Orientalist and Islamic works, establishing a permanent auction forum in a Persian Gulf state that until now had hosted only occasional pop-up sales held by international houses. Lefebvre, a native of Canada and veteran of Heffel Fine Art in Montreal, spearheaded the launch of AlBahie, founded by His Excellency Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani, along with local businessman and entrepreneur Ashraf Abu Issa. She recently spoke with Art+Auction about the challenges and rewards of being the first in a region relatively new to auction culture.What led to the launch of AlBahie?Although Christie’s and Sotheby’s have had sales in Doha over the years and the latter has a representative here—Christie’s is a bit more entrenched in the region with a salesroom in Dubai—they have tended to hold auctions as isolated events. We felt it was the right time to establish a homegrown, local house that would offer regular monthly sales. I must say it did take quite a bit of work to establish the legal framework in which to operate and to begin sourcing consignments.You’ve mentioned before that part of AlBahie’s mission is to cultivate an auction culture locally. What exactly does that entail?Education is a huge part of it. One of the things that people here tend to find confusing is the many different ways one can bid—in the room, by absentee, on the phone, or online—and that one must register to bid. And then there is a preview where you cannot yet buy what is seemingly on offer. Part of our task has been to explain the machinations of the auction world to them—not only the bidding process but the valuation process and how we establish estimates. We have a marvelous location within the Katara Cultural Village—with a reference library, bookshop, and coffee shop, much like the Dorotheum in Vienna—where potential buyers can learn more about art and collecting. All these elements have been part of our concept for the house since the beginning.Have your sales yielded solid results?Our inaugural sale, of Orientalist and Islamic works, was about 35 percent sold by lot, with 86 of the 240 lots finding buyers. Our May Oriental carpets sale had a far higher sell-through rate, with 60 out of 90 lots finding takers. The latter had an amazing atmosphere with a lot of local people bidding in the room. We were quite pleased with the result.Can you tell us about your upcoming sales this fall?In September we will be offering jewelry and watches; in October we hold our second sale of Islamic and Orientalist art, which we plan to offer twice yearly; and in November we will have a sale of contemporary and modern Middle Eastern art.
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