Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art in Geneva, Switzerland

Having a reputation as the “older, quieter brother” of the two Aboutaam brothers, a story is told of one of Ali’s earlier ventures into acquisition of antiquities.

“I remember there was an auction in London, “explains Ali. “I was 25 years old, wearing a jean jacket, and it was an auction of really tiny things. I was trying to buy the whole thing- everything.”

Outbidding even his most motivated competition, Ali continued to bid until he paid  £14,000 for a piece which was listed at £200-£400; about 70 times more than Christie’s estimated value.

Laughing, Ali described the auctioneer as making comments like, “This is a record!”

When the auction was over, Ali sent a friend who was working for the Aboutaams to collect the pieces they had purchased for a total of £400,000. “Everything could fit in his hand!” Ali exclaims.

What seemed to some as reckless purchases at the time turned out to be excellent business sense later, when much of what Ali had purchased at auction that day has since sold for double, and even triple what was originally paid.

Some of the finest miniature pieces that were purchased that day at Christie’s are still in the brothers’ collection.

Ancient art is of twofold significance, as implied by the name. When an object is ancient its importance comes from the mere fact that it is an example of something that either no longer exists, or as something that teaches us about the culture or civilization it comes from. This is true even of objects that might not have any “artistic” value as such, like ancient tools.

But when an object is not only ancient, but is considered an art object, either when it was created, such as a sculpture or paintings and illustrations or in the present, such as with coins or pottery, the object takes on a significance much more impressive than the mere fact that the object is old.

Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam of the Phoenix Ancient Art Gallery understand the special significance of ancient art. They have earned international recognition as dealers with expertise and impeccable judgment when it comes to finding and acquiring artwork that is rare, beautiful and valuable.