Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule Jun 6, 2025 visibility 23 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

middle east art fair race doha dubai and abu dhabi art basel

Art Basel has announced a surprise deal to launch a new art fair in Qatar next year, partnering with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+, a subsidiary of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and commercial arm of Qatar Museums. The fair will debut with around 50 galleries in Doha, intentionally smaller than Basel's other fairs, with a distinct character aimed at building a long-term, sustainable event. The deal comes after rumors that Basel might take over Abu Dhabi Art, and as the region's art scene intensifies, with Art Dubai recently poaching Basel's global head of gallery relations Dunja Gottwies as its new director.

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trending_up market schedule Mar 6, 2026 visibility 27 link 11 artists, 5 galleries

art basel qatar opening report

Art Basel Qatar has launched its inaugural edition in Doha, marking a significant expansion of the Swiss fair brand into the Middle East. The event features 87 exhibitors in a unique, booth-less format spread across the M7 and Doha Design District, departing from traditional trade fair aesthetics in favor of a curated, biennial-style presentation. While the opening VIP day saw strong attendance from regional collectors and major international galleries like Hauser & Wirth, the atmosphere was tempered by light initial sales and significant regional geopolitical tensions.

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article news schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 25 link 27 artists, 6 galleries

paint drippings art industry news nov 14

This week's art industry roundup covers major developments across auctions, galleries, and art fairs. Highlights include $1.6 billion in art heading to auction at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips in New York; the sale of the 'Mellon Blue' diamond for $25 million at Christie's Geneva; and the Vanderbilt jewels achieving $4.2 million at Phillips Geneva. In galleries, Sperone Westwater faces possible closure or transformation after 50 years, while Upsilon Gallery opens a new space in Milan. The IFPDA Print Fair expands to include drawings and rebrands, and Abu Dhabi Art will relaunch as Frieze Abu Dhabi next year. The Gallery Climate Coalition reports significant emissions reductions among its members.

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person people schedule May 20, 2026 source 5 sources visibility 2 link 3 artists

Art Basel Qatar Taps Former Mathaf Director Wassan Al-Khudhairi to Shape 2027 Fair

Art Basel has appointed Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi as artistic director for the 2027 edition of Art Basel Qatar, succeeding Egyptian artist Wael Shawky who shaped the inaugural edition. The fair will take place January 28–30, 2027, with preview days on January 26–27, at Doha Design District and M7 in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Al-Khudhairi, former founding director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, brings deep ties to Qatar and international curatorial experience from biennials including Gwangju and the Asian Art Biennial.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 20 link 9 artists, 1 gallery

art basel qatar launch february 2026

Art Basel announced a partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+ to launch Art Basel Qatar in Doha in February 2026, marking the first major international art fair in the Middle East. The inaugural edition will feature a tightly curated selection of approximately 50 galleries, significantly smaller than Art Basel's other fairs, and will be held at M7, a creative hub in the Doha Design District. A director for the fair will be announced in the coming months.

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museum exhibitions schedule Feb 4, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 25 link 12 artists, 4 galleries

art basel qatar fair report doha

The first-ever Art Basel Qatar opened in Doha with 84 single-artist presentations from 87 galleries, spread across two venues: the Doha Design District and M7. The fair, a partnership between Art Basel, Qatar Sports Investments, and QC+, features a tightly curated schedule of events, including a drone installation by Jenny Holzer at the Museum of Islamic Art and a floating dinner by artist Laila Gohar. Despite the usual fair rhythms, sales have been slow, and the event emphasizes engagement over transaction, as articulated by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

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trending_up market schedule May 24, 2025 visibility 19 link 8 artists, 1 gallery

qatar lures art basel

MCH Group, parent company of Art Basel, announced a new Doha edition of the Swiss art fair, set to launch in February 2026. Art Basel Qatar will start with 50 galleries and expand to around 200, partnering with Qatar Sports Investments and QC+, a commercial arm of Qatar Museums. The fair aims to bolster markets across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

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trending_up market schedule Dec 29, 2025 visibility 26 link 9 artists, 8 galleries

Fair behemoths bet on Gulf plus new, bigger venues for Independent—a quick look at art fairs in 2026

Art Basel and Frieze are both launching new fairs in the Arabian Gulf in 2026: Art Basel Qatar in Doha (5-7 February) and Frieze Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi (17-22 November). Art Basel Qatar will feature 87 galleries with solo artist presentations on the theme 'Becoming,' curated by artistic director Wael Shawky, with major dealers like Gagosian and David Zwirner participating. Frieze Abu Dhabi takes over the existing Abu Dhabi Art fair, with Dyala Nusseibeh remaining as director and Deutsche Bank as sponsor. Meanwhile, Independent's two New York fairs are moving to larger venues: the contemporary edition to Pier 36 on the East River in May, and Independent 20th Century to Sotheby's Breuer building in September. Art Cologne is also reviving its Mallorca edition at the Palau de Congressos in Palma.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 18 link 5 artists, 9 galleries

The UAE’s art market is on the up

The UAE's art market is experiencing a resurgence nearly two decades after the 2008 financial crash, driven by a booming economy and strategic investments. Key developments include an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, ADQ, acquiring a $1 billion stake in Sotheby's, and Art Basel announcing a new fair in Doha, Qatar, set to launch in February 2026. Meanwhile, Christie's is expanding its Dubai office, and Saudi Arabia hosted its inaugural Art Week Riyadh in April, featuring 32 commercial galleries. Despite these regional moves, Dubai remains the Gulf's commercial art hub, with Sotheby's chairman Edward Gibbs noting a 70% increase in regional bidders over five years and Christie's president Anthea Peers reporting that sales of modern Middle Eastern art trebled between 2020 and 2024.

newspaper Apollo – The International Art Magazine open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 22, 2025 visibility 21 link 5 artists, 3 galleries

‘Everyone benefits’: Art Basel’s chief on the new Paris VVIP slot and the viability of its Qatar fair

Art Basel Paris held its fourth edition with a new VIP preview slot called Avant Première, where galleries nominated six key collectors to enter the fair on Tuesday afternoon before the main opening. Major sales were reported, including a $23 million Gerhard Richter painting at Hauser & Wirth, a Modigliani for nearly $10 million at Pace, and a $7.5 million Ruth Asawa sculpture at David Zwirner. CEO Noah Horowitz discussed the rationale for the exclusive preview, the renaming of the VIP relations team to 'collector and institutional relations,' and the viability of the upcoming Art Basel Qatar fair amid growing competition in the Gulf region.

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trending_up market schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 18 link 5 artists

art basel qatar

Art Basel is expanding to the Middle East with a new fair in Doha, Qatar, set to launch in February 2026. The inaugural edition will feature around 50 galleries from local and international scenes, held across two venues: M7 and the Doha Design District. The fair is a partnership between Art Basel, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), and QC+, a cultural commerce collective under Qatar Museums. A new artistic director will be announced soon, and the fair aims to scale up over time, with additional art activations in outdoor spaces like Msheireb Museums and Barahat Msheireb square.

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article news schedule Sep 9, 2025 visibility 13

israeli airstrike doha qatar risk of planning art basel fair

On Tuesday, Israel carried out a missile strike in Doha, Qatar, targeting senior Hamas leaders, with explosions reported in the Leqtaifiya neighborhood and smoke visible over the Katara cultural district. The strike comes as a shock to Qatar, which has built a reputation for stability and is home to major art institutions operated by Qatar Museums, including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar, and the Museum of Islamic Art. Art Basel, which announced in May a partnership with Qatar Sports Investments and QC+ to launch Art Basel Doha in February 2026, said it is closely monitoring developments and remains committed to the fair's inaugural edition.

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trending_up market schedule Nov 12, 2025 visibility 11 link 1 gallery

art basel qatar strategic partner plans fine art storage logistics hub

Qatar is planning to build the Gulf region's largest full-service fine art storage and logistics facility, developed by QC+ (a strategic partner of Art Basel Qatar and Qatar Sports Investments) in collaboration with Gulf Warehousing Company Q.P.S.C. The facility, located near Hamad International Airport in a designated free zone, will offer art preservation, storage, conservation, and viewing rooms, allowing artworks to be stored and traded outside customs territory. The announcement follows Qatar's broader art infrastructure expansion, including a planned museum of international modern and contemporary art and the upcoming Art Basel Qatar fair.

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trending_up market schedule May 27, 2025 visibility 9

art market minute may 26

Art Basel is launching a new fair in Doha in February 2026, marking its fifth global edition and a strategic expansion into the Gulf region. The move is backed by Qatar Sports Investments and QC+, a commercial arm of Qatar Museums, reinforcing Qatar’s cultural ambitions while placing the country in direct market competition with Dubai and a rising Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Sotheby’s has sold the most valuable trove of Old Master works ever offered in a single auction, and there have been more high-profile shifts from auction houses to private dealerships.

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