artparis-abu dhabi to feature art treasures worth over Dhs1.4bn

Modern and contemporary masterpieces by Picasso, Dali, Chagall and several others will be exhibited and offered for sale at artparis-abu dhabi, from November 26 - 29 2007.

artparis-abu dhabi is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The art fair will be organized in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

Created in 1999, artparis is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art from the 20th and the 21st centuries that takes place annually at the Grand Palais in Paris. The exhibition gathers over 100 different presentations covering a wide array of artistic vision, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography.

Caroline Clough-Lacoste, co-founder and General Commissioner of artparis, said today artparis-abu dhabi would feature an extensive collection of Arabian art, including calligraphy and sculptures by leading Arab artists.

"Among the paintings on display the exhibition, masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Joan Miro will certainly be the highlights. In view of the fact that this is an exhibition about cultural fusion, there will also be a vast array of art from the Middle East. Galleries from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have confirmed their participation," said Clough-Lacoste.

"While the entire collection is conservatively valued at over US$400 million (AED 1.4 billion), there will be something for all art lovers including informative seminars on art appreciation and how to invest in art," she added.

The Director General of ADACH, Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, said artparis-abu dhabi will motivate and initiate creativity in the emirate and beyond. "This celebrated art fair will provide artists and art connoisseurs the opportunity to network with international experts in the field and they will benefit not only from the exposure to this incredible collection but also from the educational workshops and lectures that will be held in support of artparis-abu dhabi," Al-Mazrouei said.

Laure d'Hauteville, Project Manager of the fair, said artists from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon and from across the Arab world are scheduled to participate. Art aficionados from the sub-continent have also been invited.

"After exploring several locations, we chose Abu Dhabi to be the global venue for artparis. Geographically, the city is an ideal meeting point for the East and West. Culturally, it is establishing itself as the hub of the Middle East and has already been chosen to host the Louvre, Guggenheim, Sotheby's and Christies. Keeping in mind these aspects, the fact that the capital is the wealthiest city in the UAE, we felt that Abu Dhabi was the perfect choice for artparis," d'Hauteville added.