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Sunday, March 11, 2007
The first DIFC Gulf Art Fair, the first such event to be held in the emirate of Dubai, got off to a flying start on March 07.
The emirate is promoting itself as a new trading hub for contemporary art, taking advantage of its location seven hours both from London and from China. It is a magnet for wealthy Indians, Russians and Middle Easterners, which explains why the authority which controls the burgeoning financial markets in Dubai, the Dubai International Financial Centre, bought a 50% stake in the fair at the beginning of this year.
Established by London dealer John Martin and local financier Ben Floyd, the fair has attracted 40 international dealers keen to test this emerging market.
Exhibitors come from as far afield as Tokyo, Korea, China and the US, and were rewarded yesterday with immediate sales to a wide-ranging group of collectors including Americans, Iranians and Indians. It is too early to judge whether the elite of Dubai will support this initiative by buying on their home ground, but the fair has certainly created a great buzz in the region, and was attended by the Minister of Culture.
“We have sold five pieces by Indian artist Sohan Qadire (in the $30,000 range); there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. The crowd seems very sophisticated and well travelled, and we are very happy as they relate to the works we brought to show here,” said Sundaram Tagore of the eponymous New York gallery.
“I thought I would either sell nothing or everything,” said London dealer Ben Brown who found buyers for a Candida Höfer photograph and a painting by Tony Bevan as the fair opened. Michael Hue Williams of Albion gallery immediately sold two calligraphies by Xu Bing, two paintings by the young British artist Kristian Ryokan and two abstract wax paintings by Jose Maria Sicilia.
Indeed, abstract works were to the fore, as dealers played safe and avoided provocative images and nudity. There was also a choice of classic works by artists such as De Chirico, Marino Marini and Klee, as well as recognized “brand names”—Picasso still lifes, Warhol dollar signs, an Indiana Love sculpture and Hirst spot and butterfly paintings.
A sign of how closely this fair is being watched is the presence of Art Basel director Sam Keller, accompanied by his VIP programme director. He said, “New fairs expand the number of collectors and that’s good for the market as a whole”.
What is certainly going to boost the cultural profile of the whole region is the plan to build five museums in neighbouring Abu Dhabi. The mega, $1 billion deal between the emirate and the Louvre was signed just 24 hours before the fair opened.
The emirate is promoting itself as a new trading hub for contemporary art, taking advantage of its location seven hours both from London and from China. It is a magnet for wealthy Indians, Russians and Middle Easterners, which explains why the authority which controls the burgeoning financial markets in Dubai, the Dubai International Financial Centre, bought a 50% stake in the fair at the beginning of this year.
Established by London dealer John Martin and local financier Ben Floyd, the fair has attracted 40 international dealers keen to test this emerging market.
Exhibitors come from as far afield as Tokyo, Korea, China and the US, and were rewarded yesterday with immediate sales to a wide-ranging group of collectors including Americans, Iranians and Indians. It is too early to judge whether the elite of Dubai will support this initiative by buying on their home ground, but the fair has certainly created a great buzz in the region, and was attended by the Minister of Culture.
“We have sold five pieces by Indian artist Sohan Qadire (in the $30,000 range); there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. The crowd seems very sophisticated and well travelled, and we are very happy as they relate to the works we brought to show here,” said Sundaram Tagore of the eponymous New York gallery.
“I thought I would either sell nothing or everything,” said London dealer Ben Brown who found buyers for a Candida Höfer photograph and a painting by Tony Bevan as the fair opened. Michael Hue Williams of Albion gallery immediately sold two calligraphies by Xu Bing, two paintings by the young British artist Kristian Ryokan and two abstract wax paintings by Jose Maria Sicilia.
Indeed, abstract works were to the fore, as dealers played safe and avoided provocative images and nudity. There was also a choice of classic works by artists such as De Chirico, Marino Marini and Klee, as well as recognized “brand names”—Picasso still lifes, Warhol dollar signs, an Indiana Love sculpture and Hirst spot and butterfly paintings.
A sign of how closely this fair is being watched is the presence of Art Basel director Sam Keller, accompanied by his VIP programme director. He said, “New fairs expand the number of collectors and that’s good for the market as a whole”.
What is certainly going to boost the cultural profile of the whole region is the plan to build five museums in neighbouring Abu Dhabi. The mega, $1 billion deal between the emirate and the Louvre was signed just 24 hours before the fair opened.
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