London – A rare work by Egyptian artist Gazbia Sirry (1925-2021) was the top lot at Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale on 21 May at New Bond Street, London. Painted in 1951, A Woman with Water Pots was exhibited at Sirry's first landmark solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo and was the earliest work by the artist ever to come to auction. The work achieved £216,300, a new world record for a work by a female Egyptian artist.

The 93-lot sale achieved a total of £2,090,338.

Nima Sagharchi, Group Head of Middle Eastern, Islamic and South Asian Art, commented: "This is the earliest work by Gazbia Sirry to ever come to auction. As one of Egypt's most influential modern artists, Sirry had both a bold visual language and an unwavering dedication to portraying the strength and resilience of Egyptian women. A Woman with Water Pots was a rare and exquisite early work by Sirry and we are delighted that it achieved such a strong result, setting a new auction record for a work by a female Egyptian artist."

Gazbia Sirry was born in Cairo in 1925 to an aristocratic Turkish family and raised by her widowed mother and divorced grandmother, alongside her two sisters. She graduated from the Higher Institute of Art Education for Women in 1948, before continuing her training at the studio of Marcel Gromaire in Rome in 1951, and the Slade School of Fine Art in London in 1955. Early in her career, Sirry joined the Modern Art Group, whose aim was to create authentic Egyptian art which also incorporated Western art practices. Sirry's early paintings are characterized by depictions of strong female figures from across social and economic classes, a contrast to the popular focus on the depiction of female peasants in Egypt in 1920s and 1930s. Sirry had a complex relationship with Nasser regime, with her works often reflecting the political climate of Egypt and shifts throughout her lifetime.

Sirry's work has been exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale in 1952, 1956, 1958 and 1984. Her works are held in the Modern Art Museum, Cairo; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris and the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.

Other highlights of the sale include:

• Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961), Pastorale. Sold for £114,700.

• Fahr El-Nissa Zeid (Turkey, 1900-1991), La Mer Rouge (The Red Sea). Sold for £102,000.

• Inji Efflatoun (Egypt, 1924-1989), Mabrouka (She who is Blessed). Sold for £95,650 – a new world auction record for the artist.

• Saliba Douaihy (Lebanon, 1915-1994), Mar Gerges Church, Ehden. Sold for £89,300.

• Effat Naghi (Egypt, 1905-1994), The Driving Force (Alquwat al-dafieaa). Sold for £63,900 – a new world auction record for the artist.