Sotheby’s Collectors’ Week Abu Dhabi: New Dimensions for Rare Pieces

Art, iconic automobiles, jewellery, watches, and other collectibles are usually displayed in separate environments, each speaking to its own community. Sotheby’s inaugural Collectors’ Week in the Middle East took a different approach: it placed these categories side by side and demonstrated how naturally they can enrich one another. This curatorial shift also highlighted why physical and digital forms of presentation are increasingly complementary. The physical object anchors authenticity; the digital dimension adds insight, emotion, and access. Together, they create a fuller understanding of what makes a rare piece significant.

This idea was explored in depth at the TCCT Forum “The Future of Collectibles – Real and Digital”, staged in front of the legendary 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. After Fritz Kaiser’s inspiring keynote with the topic “Where Heritage Meets Innovation”, Mohamed Ali AlKamali from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Marcus Breitschwerdt from Mercedes-Benz Heritage, Prof. Markus Gross from ETH Zurich and The Walt Disney Company, Josh Pullan from Sotheby’s, and Benedetto Camerana from Italy’s National Automobile Museum examined how technology, globalization, and shifting audiences are reshaping the collecting landscape. Moderated by Fritz Kaiser, Founder and Chairman of Roarington, the panel converged on one conclusion: collecting is entering a hybrid era in which physical heritage and digital innovation are not opposites but partners.