The art market of the MENA region counts as one of the fastest-growing markets globally: it has reached the top of the art world over the last decade. Within the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, major exhibitions take place, and branches of the Western museums announce their openings, with art collectors from all over the world actively following local artists. Elen Levitt, Abu Dhabi-based art advisor and art collector, shares her take on the Arab art scene, its iconic figures, and the price dynamics for their works, exclusively for DEL’ARTE Magazine.
Tracing history behind
UAE art market
Art Dubai © Фото: Spark Media for Art Dubai
It has only been 17 years since the interest in contemporary art emerged in the Middle East. In 2007, the first contemporary art fair, Art Dubai, was launched. The same year, another art fair, Art Abu Dhabi (previously known as Art Paris Abu Dhabi), opened at the Emirates Palace Hotel, in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The opening took place thanks to the support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, under the auspices of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whose attention to the event has fostered the cultural development of the region.
As soon as Art Abu Dhabi became a landmark event for the country, it passed under the control of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. In November 2024, the fair was organized for the 16th time, with more than 100 international galleries taking part in it.
A year after the opening of the two fairs, Art Abu Dhabi and Art Dubai, the first 20 gallery pavilions emerged in the Dubai art district Alserkal Avenue. It was Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, the city’s famous entrepreneur and patron of the arts, who initiated the creation of the space for development and cooperation among the artists and galleries.
Auction sales and
international interest
Parviz Tanavoli. The Wall © Photo: Tanavoli.com
The newly introduced UAE contemporary art fairs and art galleries gave rise to interest in the MENA region artists, both 20th-century and contemporary ones, as the leading international auctions demonstrate. In 2008, The Wall by the Iranian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli was sold for $2.8 million at Christie’s, whereas The Whirling Dervishes by Mahmoud Said went under the hammer for $2.5 million.
Likewise, the Arab Museum of Modern Art, Mathaf, opened in Doha in 2010. In parallel, Arab pavilions were introduced to the Venice Biennale, while branches of major Western museums, like those of the Louvre or the Guggenheim, could be first found in Abu Dhabi.
Manarat Al Saadiyat © Photo: Tripadvisor
Cultural initiatives
in Abu Dhabi
Even more cultural spaces pervaded Abu Dhabi with time. One such space emerged on Saadiyat Island in 2014. The following decade was marked by the growing number of artistic initiatives across the United Arab Emirates, such as the establishment of the Manarat Al Saadiyat cultural center and the Abu Dhabi Art Hub gallery, both of which play a crucial role in championing creativity and innovation in art.
In 2010, the UAE presented a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, introducing Emirati artists to the global audience.
Fascination with history
of local and global art
Leonardo da Vinci. Salvator Mundi © Photo: Wikinews
In 2017, Emirati cultural institutions started researching the local artistic avant-garde movements, thus promoting a systematic approach to embracing the country’s art history. The landmark galleries, like The Third Line, Lawrie Shabibi, and Ayyam, became the primary venues for exhibiting artworks by both famous and emerging artists.
At the same time, Arab collectors got actively involved in European and American art auctions, purchasing pieces of art made outside the MENA region. For instance, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, acquired Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci at Christie’s for $450 million.
Changes in 2019
Warehouse 421 © Photo: Jonathan Gibbons
By 2019, the cultural landscape of the UAE had drastically changed. Leila Heller Gallery, Green Art Gallery and Custot Gallery have actively engaged in the promotion of Arab art. In 2015, a new artistic space, Warehouse 421, emerged in Mina Zayed district, while the Abu Dhabi Louvre opened in 2017. Today the capital district Mina Zayed keeps on organizing biennials devoted to light art and visual art.
Parallel to these events, culture in Dubai was vigorously developing: e.g. Jameel Arts Center and some new exhibition spaces with intense programs and artistic residences were founded. Since 2019, creative platforms such as The Jamjar and Tashkeel have emerged, where artists feel free to make a statement and interact with the audience. Another example of such platforms may be the Dubai Design District and associations of artists, like Nadi Al Quoz.
Tashkeel © Photo: Tashkeel.org
Following the UAE example, Saudi Arabia began to participate in global artistic initiatives: the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and the Jeddah Art Week evidence this.
Prospects
The ambitions of the region grow along with its artistic influence. In 2025, the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Museum are going to open in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Art Abu Dhabi continues to establish its authority: the fair has presented the Beyond Emerging Artists exhibition as part of the parallel program of the Venice Biennale earlier this year.
MENA artists you should follow
Hassan Sharif
Iran-based artist who used to live and work in the UAE
Hassan Sharif’s Slippers and Wire © Photo: Willy Lowry / The National
The works by the pioneer of Emirati contemporary art are exhibited in the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Bahrain National Museum. Abroad, you can find them in the collections of the Guggenheim New York, the Pompidou Center Paris, and Tate Modern. In the early 2000s, his artworks were sold for just a few thousand dollars. However, after the artist’s death, the price for the works climbed to tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Abdulnasser Gharem
Saudi Arabia
Abdulnasser Gharem. Camouflage III. 2017 © Photo: abdulnassergharem.com
Famous for his provocative installations, Gharem has his works kept in the collections of François Pinault, the British Museum, Palazzo Grassi, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (MOCA), and the National Museum of Saudi Arabia. Recently, the works by the artist have gone up from $10,000–20,000 to $300,000 and above.
Monira Al Qadiri
Kuwait
Monira Al Qadiri. Chimera. 2021 © Photo: koeniggalerie.com
Centered around the issues of identity and technology, the artist’s works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York (MoMA) and the National Museum of Qatar. Early in Al Qadiri’s career, the price for her art started at a few thousand dollars. Now it has risen to approximately $200,000.
Nja Mahdaoui
Tunisian artist, actively working in the UAE
© Photo: aletihad.ae
The calligraphic works by Mahdaoui are kept in the collections of the British Museum, the Tunisian Art Gallery, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Likewise, his pieces of art can be discovered in the international airports in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The prices for Nja Mahdaoui’s works, particularly those created in the 60s–70s, vary from $10,000 to $100,000.
Ebtisam Abdulaziz
the UAE
Photo: artzealous.com
Focusing on the issues of contemporaneity and identity in art, Abdulaziz has her works displayed in the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Art Hub. The artist’s works are also kept in the collection of the Farouk family, Deutsche Bank, the Ministry of Culture UAE, and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation. The prices for her art hit $100,000.
Needless to say, the list doesn’t end here. The paragraphs above present some of the brightest names on the Emirati art market and also disclose the dynamics of price formation for works by Arab artists. These pieces of art embody a unique vision shaped by different cultures and countries of the MENA district, which in turn enriches the contemporary art market and calls the attention of art collectors globally.
Conclusion
Less than 20 years ago, the art market of the MENA region took a leap and discovered new names that are now known far beyond the Middle East and North Africa. The key MENA art institutions and artists do not only play an important role in developing the region but also create a space for dialogue and sharing mutual experience between different cultures.