In May 2006, art market history was made when Christie's held its first auction of International Modern & Contemporary Art in the Middle East. Since then, Christie's has gone on to sell over US$100 million worth of art in Dubai and firmly established itself as the leading auction house in the region. Christie's currently hold sales in International Modern & Contemporary Art and Jewellery & Watches.

In April 2008, Christie's sold a highly important sculpture by Parviz Tanavoli for US$2.8 million, the highest price ever achieved for a work of art at auction in Dubai and a new world auction record for any Middle Eastern artist.

Held in April and October, the Dubai auctions continue to act as a major catalyst in the development of the contemporary art market in the Middle East.

In 2008 Christie's has begun to include a section of Modern Arab and Iranian art in our Orientalist sales, held in June and December, now renamed Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Moderne Arabe et Iranien.