Auction introduction: Following a highly successful auction in 2023, the second exceptional group of artworks from the Dalloul Collection, Beirut will be offered as part of our Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art live evening sale on 31 October in London. Formed by Dr Ramzi Dalloul and Saeda El Husseini and advanced by their son, Dr Basel Dalloul, the collection presents an immersive journey through modern and contemporary Arab art history. The family’s decades of travel across the Arab world and deep relationships with artists have shaped a collection that boldly celebrates Arab artistic diversity and culture. Highlights of the group include a striking 1973 portrait by Marwan and Paul Guiragossian’s Amitié, one of the early acquisitions by Dr Ramzi Dalloul. A group of works by pioneering Palestinian artists Kamal Boullata, Asim Abou Shakra and Samia Halaby pays tribute to the Dalloul family’s roots. North Africa is prominently represented with works by Mohamed Melehi, Farid Belkahia and Baya. Other masterpieces from important private collections include Mahmoud Said’s View of the beach in Cassata in Greece (1963–64), a significant Mohammed Al Saleem painting from the artist’s estate and a mesmerising desert landscape by Aref El Rayess. A strong Iranian group is led by two Bahman Mohasses paintings and a mirror-mosaic work by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian that was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Works by contemporary luminaries include Ahmed Mater, Mohammed Sami and Hayv Kahraman.