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Lebanese Painter Says Christie's Withdrawal of His Works from Auction is 'Discrimination'

Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
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Lebanese Painter Says Christie's Withdrawal of His Works from Auction is 'Discrimination'

Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters

Christie's auction house has removed two paintings by Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki from its London sale this week following complaints, according to emails seen by Reuters, with the artist criticizing the decision as a form of "discrimination".

"Al Moulatham", which stands 2 meters tall, features a figure wrapped in a red-and-white scarf resembling a keffiyeh, the headscarf worn commonly around the Middle East.

"Anonymous", part of a series by Baalbaki on protesters around the Arab world, depicts a figure in a gas mask and a red bandana with the Arabic word for "revolutionaries" written on it.

Both are no longer available on the website for Christie's auction on modern and contemporary Middle Eastern Art. A third piece by Baalbaki, depicting red flags seemingly on fire, remains on sale.

A Christie's spokesperson said: "Decisions relating to sales remain confidential between Christie's and our consignors."

An email dated Oct. 30 from Christie's and seen by Reuters said the "decision to remove" the two pieces was "based on complaints", without specifying what the complaints were or who they were from.

The email said it was "normal policy" to remove pieces "if a work receives multiple complaints" in order to avoid "damaging press".

Baalbaki, 48, said he suspected a link between the decision and the unfolding war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7.

"Unfortunately, it's beyond sad that it would get to this point of violating freedom of expression – that there would clearly be this type of racial discrimination between one community and another," he told Reuters at his Beirut home.

Baalbaki drew comparisons with a move last month to postpone an award ceremony in Frankfurt for a Palestinian author. It said it had decided to hold the award ceremony at a different time in a "less politically charged atmosphere".

"When we start to mess with freedom of expression in art, in novels, in anything that has cultural significance, it snowballs fast," Baalbaki said.

"People feel it's their image that's been withdrawn ..."

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1st Ministerial Council of Middle East Green Initiative Adopts Decisions to Launch Implementation

The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
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1st Ministerial Council of Middle East Green Initiative Adopts Decisions to Launch Implementation

The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia reiterated on Wednesday the importance of strengthened regional collaboration to protect the environment and enhance vegetation cover to boost food and water security, safeguard biodiversity, preserve ecosystems, and promote climate change adaptation.

The Kingdom noted that the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) is a significant step toward improving regional governance in fighting desertification, drought, and climate change challenges.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley made the statements during the first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations.

Alfadley confirmed that the initiative, launched by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in 2021, marks the first regional alliance of its kind, designed to reduce the impacts of climate change across the Middle East and North Africa.

He noted that the final version of the initiative's charter was agreed upon during the founding countries' ministerial meeting in October 2022.

Alfadley stressed that the Middle East, one of the regions hardest hit by desertification and drought, requires intensified collective efforts to address environmental challenges

The ministerial council approved the MGI secretariat's organizational structure and its internal policies, appointed the MGI Secretary General and Fund Trustee, and took several other key decisions to enable the launch of MGI's implementation phase.

It extended its deepest gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed for launching the initiative in 2021.

The council renewed its commitment to strengthening regional collaboration to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought while mitigating their significant environmental and socio-economic impacts.

It welcomed the accession of 11 countries as regional members of the MGI and emphasized the important role they will play in achieving the initiative's ambitious objectives. It also invited regional countries to join the MGI.

It also welcomed the United Kingdom's accession to the MGI as a non-regional contributor with observer status. The council encourages other non-regional countries to participate, underscoring their vital role in providing technical and financial support to help achieve regional objectives and address global environmental challenges.

The council highlighted the importance of continued efforts by regional member countries to set ambitious future goals and develop policies and national strategies for land rehabilitation and vegetation cover development, aligned with relevant multilateral environmental agreements and conventions. The council urged member countries to incorporate these national targets into the MGI's regional framework.

Moreover, the council underlined the significance of bolstering international multilateral efforts and the vital role of the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society in addressing the global challenges of land degradation, desertification, and drought while supporting regional initiatives.

The council commended the landmark resolution adopted during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in February 2024, which focused on strengthening international efforts to combat land degradation and desertification while enhancing resilience to drought.

In addition, the council praised Saudi Arabia for hosting the last World Environment Day celebration on June 5, 2024, and the United Nations Environment Program for designating "Our Land, Our Future" as the theme for World Environment Day 2024.

Furthermore, the council said it looks forward to the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that will be held in Riyadh in December.