Nadine Khoury, a Dubai-based collector, curator, and art adviser, founded the Young Collectors Circle in 2023 to engage Millennial and Gen Z professionals in the Gulf region with the local art scene. The initiative offers free events such as studio visits, suppers with established collectors, and group outings to exhibition openings, aiming to make art collecting accessible and educational. Khoury, who previously worked at Green Art Gallery, started the circle with friends and grew it through social media and word-of-mouth, limiting attendance to 15 people to foster a friendly, barrier-free environment.
The Young Collectors Circle addresses a gap in the Gulf art market, where rapid urbanization and wealth have created untapped potential among younger generations. By breaking down the perception of art as a luxury and providing direct connections with artists and gallerists, Khoury is cultivating a new wave of passionate, patient collectors. This initiative matters because it strengthens the domestic art scenes of Gulf Cooperation Council countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—which have been growing rapidly, and ensures that local art is appreciated on its own terms.