Head of Sotheby’s UAE, Katia Nounou Boueiz, came to Dubai in 2015 and is now leading the first GCC outpost of an auction house with nearly 300 years of history under its belt.

She gave wknd. an exclusive preview of some of the highlights of her growing art collection at her Jumeirah home, and told us how everyone can become a collector.

Katia calls the couple’s villa as “a quintessential LA-style house, right in the middle of Jumeirah”. It has a modern feel, high ceilings and expansive glass windows, as well as big white walls which are perfect for showcasing art.

“We have lots of colourful paintings and ceramic sculptures everywhere throughout. In terms of the furniture, we’ve made a conscious effort to keep it as minimalist as possible, to let the art take centre stage,” she explained. Katia hosts art collectors from around the world while she cooks up her signature Persian cuisine from her family recipes for as many as 130 guests.

Just 38, Katia was born and raised in London but is originally of Iraqi and Iranian heritage. She moved to Dubai together with her husband after they got married in 2015.

“Being surrounded by beautiful paintings for the last 17 years since I started working at Sotheby’s will make you into somewhat of a collector,” she told wknd. “Though my favourite period has to be that of the Impressionists - a little over my budget - my husband and I have slowly started to build a collection over the last 12 years that brings together established and less established contemporary artists from all over the world.

“The first piece that we bought was for our London home, a 1970s piece titled Atom by Turkish artist Hamit Gorele, which we won in a Sotheby’s auction. I still absolutely love it.”

One of the most exciting purchases the couple have made is a beautiful piece by Latifa Echakhch, which they bought from the Kamel Mennour Gallery. “She is a very talented Moroccan-French artist who participated in the Venice Biennale in 2011 and won the Duchamp Prize in 2013. This is one of the few paintings both my husband and I fell in love with instantly, we were both 100% sold the moment we saw it.”

Sotheby’s, founded in London in 1744, and the world’s oldest and largest internationally recognised firm of fine art auctioneers, opened its first Dubai-based gallery in 2017.

“While others were focusing on categories such as watches and Middle Eastern art, though we also catered for the best of the best in those fields, my priority was to establish ourselves as the pioneers in bringing masterpieces of international art from different periods, in line with the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s boundless approach,” Katia told wknd.

“We showcased Old Masters with Rembrandt, Rubens, Botticelli,  Impressionist and Modern Art with Picasso, Kandinsky and Giacometti, and Contemporary including a monumental Mappa by Boetti and a one-of-a-kind collection of Warhol prints.”  

Since then, the auction house has also presented some incredibly important and rare jewels in the UAE, such as Marie-Antoinette’s jewels, including her pearl, as well as major gemstones, such as the 303 carat Golden Canary yellow diamond and the magnificent 55 carat Estrela de Fura ruby.

And the company’s work in the UAE only keeps growing. In April, Sotheby’s held its first public exhibition in Abu Dhabi in 15 years, unveiling $100 million (Dh367 million) of rare diamonds at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on Saadiyat Island, with two days of sold-out guided tours.

Work and home have now become interwoven for Katia, for whom collecting has become a way of life. But it is not only for professionals, she says. “The first thing I always advise is to establish your own personal style or aesthetic, and consider the overall theme of your home, whether it’s more modern, classic or traditional, or eclectic or minimalist.

“You should seek out art that will compliment and enhance your interior. The next most important thing is that the art speaks to you, whether its paintings, photography, sculptures, you should choose pieces that resonate with you and evoke emotions. All of this will enhance your everyday living.”

Textures are key to a collection’s visual appeal, so varying the art created in different mediums is vital, she said. 

“I also highly encourage trying to buy from artists globally - there are so many things out there once you start looking,” she said.

Her favourite space in the Jumeirah villa is the main entrance, a true focal point that any guest will have to see. An open space with natural light pouring in, it’s a testament to the very personalities at the heart of the home.

“Here you have artworks hung, centred around my favourite piece of furniture, a wooden dining table that is a pretty big statement piece,” she said.

“My second favourite spot would have to be my rooftop, with its gorgeous

But contrary to her life of city living from London to Dubai, Katia says that her dream home would be a charming Provençal or country-style house, like the one once owned by Audrey Hepburn in a small village in Switzerland, with a big vegetable and fruit garden.

“This would be a nice contrast to the busy city and beach lifestyle I have
between London and Dubai, something I would welcome in the future, when I’m manifesting my retirement plans,” she smiled.

“For inspiration, I look to the likes of Martha Stewart and Amal Clooney, as I love the aesthetic of their interior style. Going through Sotheby’s catalogues is also an age-old inspiration, that is all the more easier now its all online. You could spend hours browsing through and seeing how collectors over time have decorated their spaces.”

But for now, Dubai remains a huge inspiration, a hub bringing the world to the Middle East in an ever-growing arts and culture scene. “Dubai is such a dynamic, vibrant and culturally diverse city, which draws influences from all around the world,” she said.

“The city inspires me to appreciate a wide array of styles and aesthetics, encouraging me to blend these various elements into my collection and the work that I do. I find beauty in the fusion of contemporary designs and art mixed with earthy elements, which creates a nice balance.

“By nature of my line of work at Sotheby’s, I get to meet so many interesting people from all over the world, and through these experiences and encounters, my taste is ever evolving.”