Sotheby's opens a new DIFC gallery, with a 1971 Formula 1 car on show

Sotheby's has opened a new gallery in Dubai International Financial Centre, and its first show puts contemporary art, jewellery, watches, handbags and a Formula 1 car in the same room. The gallery, at Gate Village Building 10, opened on 28 October, and entry is free. Sotheby's describes it as its new gallery and Salon, marking ten years of the auction house in the UAE.

The opening exhibition is built around a loan from the private collection of Elie Khouri, a Dubai-based collector, with works by Amoako Boafo, George Condo, Stanley Whitney, Günther Förg and Alighiero Boetti. Around them sit three Patek Philippe watches, among them a platinum chronograph made for left-handed wearers and a piece marking the brand's 175th anniversary; a 1939 Cartier necklace of Burmese rubies and diamonds; a collection of Hermès handbags that includes a Birkin 30 Himalaya; and a piece from Sotheby's Bespoke jewellery service set with a nine-carat Old Mine Golconda diamond.

The object most people will stop for is a 1971 Surtees TS9B, a Formula 1 car driven by John Surtees and Mike Hailwood. Hailwood finished second in it at the 1972 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It runs on a Ford-Cosworth V8 and is offered for private sale. Next to it stands a limited-edition Colnago bicycle made with Ferrari for the carmaker's 60th anniversary. Reports on the opening say the cars on display will change over time.

The gallery opens in a busy season for auction houses in the UAE. Christie's holds its first Abu Dhabi auction on 1 November, and Sotheby's brings its first Abu Dhabi fine art sale, led by a Monet, to the capital on 10 December. A Dubai gallery that changes its displays gives collectors here a place to see pieces between those sales.

To visit, go to Gate Village Building 10, Podium Level, Unit 3, in DIFC. Sotheby's own page lists the gallery as open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm, and some listings give a later closing time, so check before a late visit. It is closed at the weekend. Entry is free and there is no booking for the exhibition; specialists can be seen by appointment, which Sotheby's arranges through its Dubai office.