The works of Turkish contemporary artists will go on auction today in Dubai. The Middle East will continue to host Turkish art at the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Art Fair.
Notable works of Arab, Iranian and Turkish art will go under the hammer in Dubai today. Turkish contemporary artists such as Ramazan Bayrakoglu, Irfan Önürmen, Murat Germen, Ahmet Elhan, Murat Pulat and Azade Köker will be included in the auction. Further south, the Abu Dhabi Art Fair will host Turkish artists such as Aslı Torcu, Köker, Nazlı Eda Noyan, Burçak Bingöl and many more between Nov. 7 and 10.
A metal wall sculpture by Lebanese-Palestinian artist Abdulrahman Katanani titled “Boy Flying with a Balloon,” will also go on sale. Other notable works include several pieces by the celebrated Syrian modernist Fateh Moudarres, including a 1962 oil-and-gold-leaf-on-panel work titled “Lady with a Big Heart,” estimated to fetch $30,000 to $40,000.
A sculpture by Iranian artist Parviz Tanavoli will be available, estimated at between $15,000 and $20,000. The fiberglass-on-metal work is of a simple flowing shape forming the three letters of the Farsi word “heech” (nothing). Tanavoli aims to invoke the eternality of God, next to which everything else lacks permanence, but was also drawn to the word due to the resemblance between its written shape and the human body, reported the daily Star.
In April 2008, one of Tanavoli’s sculptures was sold by Christie’s Dubai for $2.8 million, a record sale constituting both the highest price ever achieved at an art auction in Dubai and a world auction record for an artist from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The October auction will also include a number of lots donated to raise money for two art-related charities.
One of them, the Caspian Arts Foundation was established last year to sponsor artists from the MENA region to complete their postgraduate studies at University of the Arts, London or the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, London, which combines practical teaching with philosophy of art and includes international outreach programs.
A group of artists – five Iranian and one Iraqi – and their galleries have donated six lots on behalf of the Caspian Arts Foundation, estimated to raise between $95,000-$167,000.
According to a daily Star article, work by Huguette Caland – daughter of the first Lebanese President Bechara el-Khoury – will also be auctioned, along with pieces by Lebanese artists Chafic Abboud, Youssef Aoun, Zena Assi, Hussein Baalbaki, Flavia Codsi, Tagreed Darghouth, Saliba Douaihy, Omar Fakhoury, Elie Kanaan, Pierre Koukdjian, Mohammed el-Rawas and Camille Zakharia.
The third annual Abu Dhabi Art Fair
The third annual Abu Dhabi Art Fair, a platform for modern and contemporary art, announced its diverse program of exhibitions, film screenings, performances and speaking platforms today.
This year, the Abu Dhabi Art Fair will relocate to the heart of Saadiyat Island, where talks and discussions will include events with leading international artists, galleries, collectors and curators including Larry Gagosian, Jeff Koons and Sarah Morris. Topics of talks will include the impact of the UAE Venice Biennale Pavilion and “Abu Dhabi Art Talk: From Local Art Scene to Global Art World.” Peter Sloterdijk and Salah Hassan will also discuss transnational art and artists.
The exhibition “Emirati Expressions” will present work by regional artists with renowned international photographer Stephen Shore as artistic director. A series of publications focusing on contemporary art and the Arab world will be launched during this year’s event, including an Arabic version of Sarah Thornton’s “Seven Days in the Art World.” Abu Dhabi Art’s public program is an integral part of the Abu Dhabi.
(Hürriyet Daily News)
