Asian art market: this month the Gulf's booming art market welcomes Art and Antiques Dubai, the region's first world-class international antiques fair

Apollo, Feb, 2008 by Susan Moore

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In recent years, brave attempts have been made by entrepreneurial fair organisers and auction-houses to reach the heartlands of the world's new rich. Auction-house offices have mushroomed across the globe, and art or antiques fairs have proliferated from Moscow to Shanghai. What distinguishes those in the Middle East from ventures elsewhere, however, is the official reception they have received. Organisers have struggled to negotiate with the authorities in Russia and China, neither of whom have shown much interest in the development of new art markets in their countries--nor, indeed, have their citizens shown much enthusiasm for supporting them. The United Arab Emirates, in contrast, appear to relish the prospect of establishing new international art markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as part of a far more ambitious vision to develop the country as the pre-eminent regional cultural hub.

In Dubai, Christie's astonished even itself by the success of its inaugural sales series of international and regional modern and contemporary art in May 2006, adding a jewellery sale the following year. A year ago, London dealer John Martin established the DIFC Gulf Fair for contemporary art (this year it returns as Art Dubai, 19-22 March). Bonhams has established Bonhams, Dubai as a joint venture with the locally-based Al-Tajir family. Its inaugural sale--of jewellery, watches, and modern and contemporary Arab, Iranian, Indian and Pakistani art--is scheduled for 3-4 March.

After long preparation, London-based Haughton International Fairs is launching Art and Antiques Dubai this month, which shows at the Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah, 21-24 February. It is the first event to bring top-class dealers to the Gulf region, and is under the patronage of the UAE's Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development. According to Anna Haughton, the fair was conceived to appeal to the expatriate community as well as to nationals and those in the wider region who flock to Dubai at weekends to exploit tax-free retail.

As a result, the fair will present a lively mix of Western, Orientalist and Islamic works of art and jewellery, with galleries from the whole region as well as those familiar to the Western international circuit. Arguably the fastest growing field of collecting in the region is its own modern and contemporary art, and the London-based Mathaf Gallery, for instance, who have been staging shows in Dubai for the past 20 years, will offer contemporary as well as traditional Orientalist art. They will be joined by the likes of the Ayyam Gallery of Damascus, offering modern and contemporary Syrian art. From the Far East and southeast Asia there are Mira Arts from Tokyo, specialists in Japanese woodblock prints, Gallery Tamenaga, and Samina with delectable Mughal jewels.

Among the big names from the West are silver dealers Koopman Rare Art (Fig. 2), furniture dealers Ronald Phillips, art deco specialists Maison Gerard, Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books (with early maps and photographs of the region), and Boccara, which offers modern and art deco rugs and tapestries. Many already have clients in the region, and all come with the knowledge that virtually everyone who attends this fair can buy whatever they please.

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