Frieze has announced it will launch an Abu Dhabi edition in November 2026, marking its first fair in the Middle East and its eighth global event. The fair will take over the existing Abu Dhabi Art, with a partnership deal struck with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT). The announcement comes amid a flurry of Gulf expansion by major art fairs, including Art Basel's upcoming Doha edition, and follows Hollywood tycoon Ari Emanuel's acquisition of Frieze via his holding company Mari, which counts Abu Dhabi-based IMI among its investors.
The expansion underscores the growing importance of the Gulf region as a cultural and financial hub for the global art market, with sovereign wealth funds and tourism authorities increasingly partnering with major art fair brands. Frieze Abu Dhabi will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in the Saadiyat Cultural District, reinforcing Abu Dhabi's ambitions as a cultural capital. The move also highlights the deepening ties between the art world and Gulf investment entities, as well as the strategic positioning of fairs like Frieze to access new markets and audiences in the Global South.