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A Delayed Art Dubai Opens With Fewer Galleries—but Buyers Abound

Art Dubai opened its 20th edition at Madinat Jumeirah with a significantly reduced number of exhibitors—50 largely regional galleries, down from the originally expected 120—after being delayed from mid-April due to geopolitical tensions following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on April 8. The fair, which offered free entry for the first time and refunded booth costs for participating galleries, saw strong attendance from Gulf and Middle Eastern collectors, with an upbeat mood and a more intimate atmosphere reminiscent of pre-Covid editions. Galleries from Lebanon and other conflict-affected regions were present, emphasizing art as a form of resilience and cultural identity.

museum exhibitions schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 13 link 6 artists

The legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group is explored in first major US show

The Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College in New York State has opened "All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group," the first major US survey of the influential Iraqi collective. Organized by curators Nada Shabout, Tiffany Floyd, and Lauren Cornell, the exhibition brings together 64 works by 30 artists—including Dia al-Azzawi, Jewad Selim, and Mohammed Ghani Hikmat—spanning from 1951 to 2023. Many pieces have not been publicly displayed in decades, and the show draws from private collections and major Arab institutions such as the Barjeel Art Foundation, the Dalloul Art Foundation, the Ibrahimi Collection, and Qatar Museums. The exhibition also addresses the devastating loss of modern Iraqi art during the Iraq War, with an estimated 85% of 8,000 works from the Saddam Arts Centre looted or damaged.

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