Christie's Taps Arab Market

Christie's International, the second biggest auction house by sales, plans to open offices in Kuwait, Qatar and other Arab states to tap rising wealth and expand its share of the world's $25 billion art market, Bloomberg reports. London-based Christie's, which had auction sales of $2.5 billion last year, will open as many as four offices in the Middle East during the next five years, starting with Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Irish Art