Used paintings in Abu Dhabi typically sell for AED 99 to AED 1,500 (about $27 to $405). A painting is worth what can be established about who made it, so photograph the signature, the reverse and the stretcher — and never clean or revarnish it before selling.
Selling paintings in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital and its economy is built around government and energy, which means longer postings and more settled households than Dubai. Things are kept for longer and sold in better condition, and the market skews towards quality furniture rather than quick disposals.
Postings here run longer than Dubai’s, so turnover is slower and steadier. The end of the school year is still the peak, but the volume is lower and the items that appear have usually been looked after.
Most of the city sits on an island connected by a handful of bridges, so crossing to the mainland suburbs is a real trip rather than a short hop. Compounds and towers usually need visitor access arranged in advance.
Abu Dhabi has around 1.5 million people, which means a deep enough buyer pool that most things sell without having to travel far to hand them over. Al Ain, Madinat Zayed and Ruwais are close enough that a buyer there may well make the trip for the right thing.
Handing it over in Abu Dhabi
Trading is not open in the Emirates yet, so treat this as a reference page: the pricing and the checks below hold, but the listings will appear once sellers here start posting.
Sell your Paintings in Abu Dhabi
Listing is free and there is no commission and no buyer fee, so the price you agree is the price you keep. Most listings take about a minute to put up.
What paintings are worth
What lifts the price
- Artists with an established auction record
- Canvases with no tears, flaking or overpainting
What pulls it down
- Flaking paint and craquelure needing conservation
- Unsigned works with no attribution
Working out what yours is worth
- Look closely at the surface — prints show dot patterns under magnification
- Photograph the signature, the back and any labels
Getting it ready
- Look for a signature and any date, including in the corners and along the edges under the frame rebate.
- Do not clean, varnish, retouch or reframe. Amateur cleaning removes glazes permanently and is the most common way value is destroyed.
Photograph
- The painting square on, whole, in even daylight without glare or reflection
- The complete reverse, including stretcher, labels and any inscription
Put in the description
- Medium and support — oil on canvas, watercolour on paper, acrylic on board
- The signature as it appears, and any date or inscription
Collection is far safer for anything sizeable or framed. If posting, use corner protectors, a rigid double-walled box and a face-protecting board, and never let bubble wrap touch the paint surface directly.
Listing is free and there is no selling fee, so the whole amount the buyer pays stays with you. You and the buyer agree the handover between yourselves.
Same region (Abu Dhabi)
Common questions
Where can I sell paintings in Abu Dhabi?
Put it on WishThrift free and deal with the buyer direct. Most of the city sits on an island connected by a handful of bridges, so crossing to the mainland suburbs is a real trip rather than a short hop. Compounds and towers usually need visitor access arranged in advance.
Has it been restored?
Disclose anything you know about, including relining, retouching or revarnishing. Restoration is normal on older work and buyers accept it — concealed restoration is what causes disputes.
How much are paintings worth in Abu Dhabi?
Most used paintings change hands for AED 99 to AED 1,500 (about $27 to $405). Condition and completeness move that figure more than anything else.
More: selling paintings across the United Arab Emirates, what paintings are worth, everything second hand in Abu Dhabi, or Art & Collectables in Abu Dhabi.
Guide range converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not a quote — sellers set their own price.