Fine Art & Antiques Fair

Artworks and antiques valued at more than $200 million will be on sale at The Dubai International Fine Art and Antiques Fair which opens at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre today.
The four-day event is being held under the patronage of the Dubai Cultural Council and organised by Turret Middle East.

More than 50 exhibitors, including galleries from Paris, London, New York, Rome, Milan, Moscow, Dubai, Monaco, Abu Dhabi, Turin, Bangkok, Vienna and Houston, will take part in the fair.

More than 20,000 individual exhibits, including the world’s finest artworks and antiques like 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century furniture, clocks, jewellery, sculptures, ceramics, glass and bronze wares, ancient books, Persian carpets, tapestries, works of old masters, and contemporary and Islamic art, will be on display.

Khalil Abdul Wahid, Coordinator of Fine Arts at Dubai Culture Council, said at a Press conference yesterday, “We are particularly happy to bring together the international and local galleries and artists under one roof.”

An independent group of experts are empowered to examine the exhibits for their quality and authenticity.

Fran Foster, Fair Director, said, “This is the first time in the region that art and antique exhibits are being vetted for authenticity.” The fair would be a unique opportunity for art lovers to purchase the highest quality of pieces with total confidence, she said.
Among the galleries, Barakat Gallery from London and Hollywood would exhibit a range of Islamic metal works, ceramics and, most importantly, a ‘Sitara’ of Kaaba valued at $6 million.
Centro Antiquario Romano di Roberto Parenza from Rome brings paintings of old masters, bronze sculptures and period furniture. Among their many treasures will be ‘The Camel Race’, the superb oil-on-canvas painting by the great Italian artist Alberto Pasini (1826-1899). Highly evocative of the Middle East, the painting depicts a camel race through the desert. Measuring 32 x 60 inches, it is priced in the region of 400,000-600,000 Euros.

Another highlight will be an exceptional clock made in Paris, in chiselled and gilded bronze, featuring a figure representing Pericles beside the bed of Anaxagore, by the famous Parisian makers Francois-Aime Damerat (1781-1819), and Etienne-Louis Forestier (1753-1821).
Signed on the enamelled dial, the clock is priced at 250,000 Euros. A similar clock exists in the Hermitage, St. Petersbourg.
Galerie Michel-Guy Chadelaud from Paris brings this rare piece and a wide range of European period furniture.

A stunning collection of Japanese pieces from Tokyo dealer Morikuma Arts including a range of Samurai arms and armour will also be on display.