Artcalendr: Dubai Art Fair Praised For Revitalising

An annual art fair has been praised for revitalising culture in the debt-ridden country of Dubai, according to The Guardian.

Art Dubai, which opened on March 17th, attracted almost a third more visitors than last year with some galleries selling up to 90 per cent of the art on show. Art fairs in Dubai are different to ones in the UK; art showing nudity or obvious political content are banned, and the quality of the art is generally thought to be lower than collectors would expect to find at Basel or London's Frieze.

There were a few noticeable absences at this year's Art Dubai. A third of last year's exhibitors didn't return, including London's Lisson Gallery and New York's L&M Arts, but there were still more exhibitors at the art fair than in 2009. A 20 per cent discount in booth rates encouraged many first-time exhibitors to attend, occupying just under half of the booths, according to Bloomberg.

There were fears that this year's art fair would be a flop. The auction price for some contemporary artists' work halved last year, but confidence seems to be returning to the market after a record 65 million was paid for a Giacometti sculpture in London this February.

Fabio Rossi, of London's Rossi & Rossi, told Reuters that Art Dubai is 'mainly a staging ground for emerging artists' but the fair, which is four years old, is holding its own in the global arena. 'It is becoming more serious with a higher level of gallery representation and displays,' he said. 'It is up to the audience to step up their game.'

Art dealers seem to agree that there is a future in Gulf-based art fairs. Nicholas Logsdail, Director of London's Lisson gallery, told Bloomberg: 'It's a part of the world that's doing its best to enter the 21st century with an enormous amount of enthusiasm and investment and determination. Maybe a bit too fast, but it's got to happen.'