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Art Dubai 2021 Leads The Way Back To Normality: Fair Marks Return With Robust Sales Throughout The Week, And Fully Booked Public Days

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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 and hosted by Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Art Dubai returned, signaling the resurgence of the Emirate and embracing the resilient spirit that Dubai embodies. The fair received international acclaim for reaffirming its conviction that art is best enjoyed in person, supporting the arts community and bringing people safely together.

Amongst the fair’s visitors were His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Member of the Cabinet and the Minister of Tolerance and coexistence and who opened the fair, Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, His Highness Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Sheikha Nawar Al Qassimi, Vice President & Director of External Affairs Sharjah Art Foundation, Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi,UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, His Excellency Saif Ghobash, Director General Abu Dhabi Executive Office, His Excellency Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the President of the UAE.

Taking place over six days between the 29 March and 3 April, the fair introduced a number of innovations to safely welcome over 18,000 visitors over the course of the event, with tickets sold out prior to the fair opening to the public. These included a new booking system to help ensure social distancing, a remote participation programme for galleries unable to travel to Dubai to attend the fair and a new payment model to help galleries participate.

Galleries saw robust sales across the week, with artworks being placed in major private collections and international institutions and many more in process of negotiation.

William Lawrie of Dubai-based Lawrie Shabibi gallery said: “Art Dubai pulled off something amazing, at a time that much of the rest of the art world is at a standstill. I was stunned by the number of collectors who had come from all corners of the world, despite travel restrictions and red tape. There was a concentrated energy throughout the run of the fair, lots of excitement and some great sales.”

Victoria Cooke, Director of Gallery 1957 in Ghana said: “Beyond Art Dubai showing a much-needed stride of confidence, we sold to important collectors and made new introductions in a region that continues to be very important to our gallery; a reminder that in-person connections are integral to the art market.”

Maimiti Cazalis, Senior Director of Galerie Nathalie Obadia,Paris said: “We’ve been extremely delighted to be back at the Art Dubai fair, after a gap of 5 years. On many levels, this fair has been a success. We sold artworks from all the artists presented on our booth and have been very impressed by the quality of the visitors attending the fair. We are thrilled to develop sales and projects with the artists in the region.”

Art Dubai, which is now in its 15th year, is the highlight of the region’s cultural calendar and, despite current travel restrictions due to COVID-19, saw many international travelers visit the city to attend the fair and the creative districts such as Alserkal Avenue and the contemporary museum Jameel Arts Centre. These included groups and representatives from the Garage Museum Moscow, Tate Patrons, patrons from Aga Khan museum and Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland USA.

Antonia Carver, Director of Art Jameel, commented: “The return of the UAE as an international destination for curators, artists, gallerists and patrons was felt more keenly than ever this week, given the past year of global isolation, closing borders and the catastrophes suffered by this region – notably in Lebanon. We’ve seen a rise in local visitors to Jameel Arts Centre through 2020 — and to share our exhibitions now with the international crowd was a joy, too.”

Art Dubai 2021 was hosted by Dubai International Financial Centre and sponsored by Julius Baer. The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is the fair’s strategic partner.