Dubai’s thriving arts sector supported through a new, innovative model of patronage

First artworks selected for state-backed Dubai Collection. Featuring leading Modernist and Contemporary artists from the region and beyond, the Dubai Collection is reflecting the unique creative spirit of Dubai.

The recently launched Dubai Collection is the Emirate’s first institutional art collection, created in the city and for the city, built through a new, innovative model of patronage.

Private art collectors will loan their works to Dubai Collection for a minimum of ten years. According to theartnewspaper.com, the private art collectors will “retain legal ownership of the art and it will remain hanging in their own home while its digital avatar is on view to the public. Because for the most part the new Dubai Collection is an online museum, with annual physical exhibitions.”

Dubai Collection today announces details of the first artworks to be accepted into the recently launched initiative, forming the basis of a new institutional art collection for Dubai through a new and innovative partnership model. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Collection is a community-led and collaborative scheme allowing patrons to lend their works while retaining legal ownership, in addition to benefiting from expert advice to support the growth of both personal and public collections.

Artworks in the Dubai Collection will be accessible for public appreciation and education through a dedicated digital museum, launching in September 2021. The first physical Dubai Collection exhibition showcasing selected artworks from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s collection and other key Dubai collections will be unveiled later this year at Dubai’s Etihad Museum.

Following the first Curatorial committee selection process, 87 artworks will enter the Dubai Collection, including works by many leading modern Arab artists, including Baya (Algeria, 1931-1998), Fateh Moudarres (Syria, 1922-1999), Chafic Abboud (Lebanon, 1926-2004) and Adam Henein (Egypt, 1929 -2020). An important focus in the acquisitions are works by leading Emirati artists, such as Abdul Qader Al Rais (UAE, 1951) and Shaikha Al Mazrou (UAE, 1988).

Among the accepted artworks, 19 are part of the A.R.M. Holding Art Collection, a new corporate collection launched by the Dubai-based private investment firm and multi-focused economic enabler to embody their support of the city and its potential as a nascent global cultural hub. Highlights of the collection include Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (UAE, 1962), Lamya Gargash (UAE, 1982), Moath Alofi (Saudi Arabia, 1984) and Rathin Barman (India, 1981).

The Steering Committee oversees the development of the Collection and comprises of leading figures from the city’s cultural scene, including: His Excellency Mohammed Al-Murr, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, and Muna Easa Al Gurg.

Chaired by Muna Faisal al Gurg, Director of Museums Department at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Collection’s independent Curatorial Committee is responsible for the creative direction of the collection and includes: Munira Al Sayegh, Dr. Nada Shabout, Antonia Carver, Maryam Al Dabbagh, Venetia Porter and Catherine David.