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Dubai Collection today announces details of the first artworks to be accepted into the recently launched initiative, designed to build an institutional art collection for the Emirate of Dubai through a new and innovative partnership model. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Collection is a community-led and collaborative scheme that allows patrons to lend their works while retaining legal ownership, in addition to benefitting from expert advice to support the growth of both personal and public collections.

Artworks in the Dubai Collection will be accessible for public appreciation across the city of Dubai and education through a dedicated digital museum, launching later in the year. The first physical Dubai Collection exhibition of selected artworks from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s collection and other key Dubai collections will be unveiled later this year at the Etihad Museum, Dubai.

Following the first official curatorial committee review and selection process, 87 new artworks will enter the Dubai Collection alongside the personal collections of founding patrons His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, marking an important achievement in the development of Dubai’s innovative new institutional art collection.

Included in the acquisitions announced today are works by many leading modern Arab artists from the Arab world, including Baya (Algeria, 1931 – 1998), Fateh Moudarres (Syria, 1922–1999), Chafic Abboud (Lebanon, 1926-2004)and Adam Henein (Egypt, 1929 -2020). An important focus in the acquisitions are works by leading Emirati artists, such as Abdul Qader Al Rais (UAE, 1951) and Shaikha Al Mazrou (UAE, 1988).

Among the accepted artworks, 19 are part of the A.R.M. Holding Art Collection, a new corporate collection launched by the private investment firm and multi-focused economic enabler to embody their support of the city of Dubai and its potential as a nascent global cultural hub. Highlights of the collection include Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (UAE, 1962), LamyaGargash (UAE, 1982), Moath Alofi (Saudi Arabia, 1984) and Rathin Barman (India, 1981). The A.R.M. Holding Art Collection is displayed in the offices of A.R.M in Al Safa, Dubai.

Chaired by Muna Faisal al Gurg, Director of Museums Department at Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Collection’s independent Curatorial Committee is responsible for the overall creative direction of the collection and is comprised of a panel of leading international arts professionals and curators including: Munira Al Sayegh, Dr. Nada Shabout, Antonia Carver, Maryam Al Dabbagh, Venetia Porter and Catherine David. To ensure the Collection’s continuous development and growth, the committee will meet every three months to review new artworks submitted by prominent patrons in the region.

The Dubai Collection Steering Committee is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and will ensure that the initiative reflects the open, forward looking and cosmopolitan spirit of Dubai and the UAE. Leading figures from the city’s cultural scene have been selected as members of the Steering Committee, including: His ExcellencyMohammed Al-Murr, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Abdelmonem Bin EisaAlserkal, and MunaEasa Al Gurg.

On the initiative, Steering Committee member Abdelmonem Bin EisaAlserkal says:

“That Dubai should imagine such an initiative is testament to its future-focused vision. The Dubai Collection showcases our shared commitment to legacy building by preserving the region’s visual culture and introducing these collections to local audiences.”

Featuring leading artists from the region and beyond, themes emerging in Dubai Collection explore identity, belonging, and place with a particular focus on the dynamic urbanism of the city. Maryam Al Dabbagh, curatorial committee member says: “The Collection takes a non-linear approach, not only in recognizing the contemporaneity of modern work from the region, but also in considering the rich contributions of regional and international artists to the local art scene that has grown alongside the development of Dubai city in the last 50 years.”