Dubai gallery The Third Line celebrates its 20th anniversary, marking two decades since its founding in 2005 by Sunny Rahbar, Lisa Farjam, and Claudia Cellini. Born from the anti-Arab sentiment after 9/11, the gallery began as an independent art space with a framing and novelty trading license, operating between a commercial gallery and an artists' space. It launched with a show of five Iranian photographers, later opened a short-lived Doha branch in 2008, and moved to Alserkal Avenue in 2016. To mark the anniversary, the gallery stages an exhibition organized by writer and curator Shumon Basar.
The Third Line's milestone coincides with the 20th anniversaries of Art Dubai and the Saadiyat Museums Project, underscoring the maturation of the Gulf art scene. The gallery's trajectory—from navigating UAE regulations and the 2008 financial crisis to downsizing after the Covid-19 pandemic—reflects the broader challenges and resilience of the region's contemporary art infrastructure. Its focus on representing artists from the MENASA region and commissioning critical writing has helped shape the discourse around Middle Eastern art, making its longevity a testament to the growing institutional and commercial viability of the field.