Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), Member of the Dubai Council, and Chairperson of the Dubai Collection Steering Committee, led the second meeting of the Steering Committee for the ‘Dubai Collection’ initiative. This pioneering project by Dubai Culture in partnership with the Art Dubai Group was initiated under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, as the emirate’s first institutional collection of modern and contemporary art. As an innovative new model that aims to create an alternative to the traditional acquisition-based and museum-building practices usually associated with art collections, the Dubai Collection provides the public with an opportunity to explore and appreciate important artworks through an online digital museum and physical exhibitions.

Artworks made accessible to the public under the Dubai Collection are contributed by patrons and corporate collections through the initiative’s innovative loan system, which allows patrons to loan their art pieces while maintaining legal ownership. The meeting was held alongside the 17^th edition of Art Dubai, the premier international art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region, which opened on 28 February and runs through 3 March at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

Her Highness highlighted the remarkable success of the Dubai Collection, which, since its launch, has curated a fascinating collection of 890 artworks from 77 patrons, 80% of which are in Dubai. The artworks showcased span the period from 1920 to 2023 and feature works of 17 Emirati artists alongside those of artists from over 46 countries, showcasing the global appeal and cultural diversity of the collection. Her Highness stressed the initiative’s ongoing efforts to expand the collection to 2,000 artworks and forge collaborations with 160 patrons by 2025, reinforcing its status as a pioneering institutional collection, a beacon of innovation in cultural outreach, and a formidable contributor to Dubai’s creative economy.

Collective effort praised

Her Highness expressed her appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the steering committee members, acknowledging their pivotal role in achieving the initiative’s goals. “The achievements of the Dubai Collection showcase the intellectual, cognitive, and cultural engagement of artists, community members, and patrons, underscoring the importance of actively contributing to Dubai’s creative landscape and fostering comprehensive and sustainable development highlighted by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s generous contribution of his artworks, setting a precedent for further positive engagement from the community. Our ongoing efforts are aimed at creating a pioneering and innovative global benchmark in establishing a prestigious institutional art collection for Dubai, affirming its status as a leading cultural and creative hub on the global stage.”

Her Highness toured ‘Encounters,’ an exhibition presented by the Dubai Collection at Art Dubai. Curated by Alia Zaal Lootah, the display showcases 26 pieces from a curated selection of Emirati artists across various generations, all represented within the Dubai Collection. The featured artists include the late Hassan Sharif, Mohammed Kazem, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Abdulqader Al Rais, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Afra Al Dhaheri, Maitha Abdullah, Hashel Al Lamki, and Sara Almheiri.

The ‘Encounters’ exhibition at Art Dubai showcases the growing community of art collectors within the UAE who have loaned their works to be displayed for the public. In conjunction with the exhibition, several esteemed art writers will be commissioned to create research material that will be published online, embodying Dubai Collection’s dedication to fostering critical artistic studies and intellectual discourse.