Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

The Power of Saadiyat

November 19, 2009 by Marion Maneker

As the Abu Dhabi Art Fair opens, curator Jack Persekian explains the key element in the ascent of contemporary Middle Eastern art:

Jack Persekian“A friend of mine called me and said: ‘Jack, Guggenheim New York bought one of my pieces and it’s now in the collection’.”

Other artists came to the curator with similar stories. “It’s like, wow, what’s happening? All of a sudden the western world, let’s call it the centre of the contemporary art movement, all of a sudden is interested in buying and taking these artists into the main collections there. So there’s definitely a change in the attitudes.”

The cause, in Persekian’s view, is simple: Saadiyat. “It is such a magnet, and drew so much attention,” he says. “Saadiyat brought about such a tremendous polarity in terms of attracting or turning the attention of a lot of people to this part of the world, that the whole art movement and artists are now enjoying a much higher profile.”

Vision in a Minor Key (The National)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • €500m Art Heist in Paris€500m Art Heist in Paris
  • French Get MinimalFrench Get Minimal
  • The Work of Art in the Age of Digital ReproductionThe Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction
  • Who Is the Doyenne of Art Market Reporters?Who Is the Doyenne of Art Market Reporters?
  • Sex, But Not Too Much, Sells at Sotheby’sSex, But Not Too Much, Sells at Sotheby’s
  • Fine Art Fund Scoring with Christ?Fine Art Fund Scoring with Christ?

Filed Under: Art Fairs

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • After Pandemic’s Rapid Change, Sotheby’s Has 8 Predictions for 2021
  • A Season of Improvisation: Fall 2020 New York Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Analysis
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Basquiat's Last Girlfriend
  • How to Chant Like an Auctioneer
  • Phillips Includes $2.5m Norman Rockwell Painting in November Evening Sale
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor