People & Lifestyle

Art Dubai fair buzz drowns out roiling global markets

April 25, 2025, 7:39 AM

Carbon Wake, courtesy of Breakfast Studio. Most pieces at Art Dubai sold in the range of four to six digits this year, with a few reaching beyond the million-dollar mark

Sales and exhibitors up
Popular with young collectors
Some million-dollar sales

While Dubai art gallery Lawrie Shabibi was exhibiting at last month’s Art Basel Hong Kong, Donald Trump was ramping up his trade war with China, and the event had slower sales and a distinct feeling of unease.

The ambiance could not have been more different at last week’s Art Dubai, the largest art fair in the Middle East.

Here Lawrie Shabibi presented a range of pieces, including vibrant abstract and surreal paintings of Libyan-Native American artist Saif Azzuz and playful, uplifting works from UAE artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim.

As bubbly glasses clinked and fairgoers admired the artwork, global trade tension and collapsing stock markets seemed a world away.

“A big portion of our sales – both at the fair and at the gallery – were to new clients, several who are relatively new to Dubai or had not been here before,” said William Lawrie, who co-founded Lawrie Shabibi in 2010.

Dealers reported swift sales to Dubai-based collectors and to visitors, while an increase in gallery participation – 30 new international exhibitors among the 120 participants this year – reflected the need to cater to market demand from a growing number of Dubai residents.

Lawrie Shabibi's stand at Art Dubai — Lawrie Shabibi’s stand at Art Dubai. A big portion of the gallery’s sales were to new clients

Last year the emirate’s population expanded by almost 6 percent to 3.8 million, almost double that of 20 years ago, according to Dubai government data. In a country of 11.3 million, Dubai is now the most populous of the seven-member UAE federation.

“The global financial turmoil had little impact,” said Charles Pocock, co-founder of Meem Gallery, which has operated since 2007. “Sales were up, great attendance, especially from younger collectors aged 25 to 30.”

The fair, run by the Art Dubai Group, a public-private partnership with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), has long offered less-expensive price points than Frieze or Art Basel fairs.

Most pieces this year sold in the range of four to six digits, with a few reaching beyond the million-dollar mark, and plenty within a $150,000 to $300,000 range.

An Art Dubai spokesperson noted “a steady increase in price points for works being brought to the fair”.

Dubai’s collectors are now buying for long-term residents who are opting to stay longer in the city, said the fair’s artistic director Pablo del Val. This is reflective of the city’s real estate boom over the years, especially since early 2022.

The buzz about the fair also demonstrates the art world’s growing interest in the world’s biggest oil-producing region. According to fair organisers and dealers, there was a notable increase in attendance from regional and international museum and industry representatives.

Bonnie Brennan, auction house Christie’s new CEO, flew in from New York to attend the fair and visit Dubai for the first time.

The more upbeat feeling in Dubai is in contrast to similar international events, with art fairs undergoing dramatic change. US talent agency Endeavor recently put the Frieze Art Fair, which has editions in New York, Los Angeles and London, up for sale.

Art Basel also continues to be named in possible collaborations in the Gulf, particularly its reported acquisition of Abu Dhabi, though nothing has yet been confirmed.

Abdullah Al Othman's 'Manifesto Language and the City II for Bawwaba', showing on the Iris Projects stand — Abdullah Al Othman’s ‘Manifesto Language and the City II for Bawwaba’, displayed on the Iris Projects stand

“The growing investment in the region’s cultural infrastructure is reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture and the art market,” said Benedetta Ghione, executive director of Art Dubai.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, where the government is pouring billions into the cultural sector, the first edition of Riyadh Art took place a week before Art Dubai, catering to the nation’s still small market relative to its spending power.

Art Dubai will tap the Saudi market next month where it will stage Downtown Design for the first time in Riyadh from May 20-23.

While Riyadh is busy playing catch-up, the Dubai market goes from strength to strength.