The curtain rose on Dubai Opera just as the waters of the Arabian Gulf flowed into the site of the new Louvre Abu Dhabi island museum ahead of its opening next year, and this month the first chapter begins on the much anticipated Etihad Museum. There seems to be no end to exciting projects in the local arts scene.
The Etihad Museum — located at Union House where the rulers signed the constitution to unite back in 1971 — tells the story of the UAE’s founding fathers and the country’s journey. “Etihad Museum celebrates the dedication and patriotism of our nation’s founders and invites individuals from all walks of life to follow their example in nation building,” Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Chairman of Dubai Culture, said in a statement. “The museum will focus on the political history and personal stories at a major event in the nation’s founding — that of the unification of the emirates in 1971.”
Building on the success of long-running events such as Abu Dhabi Classics, an annual concert series featuring international A-listers, Dubai Opera also opened this year and has already seen the likes of Plácido Domingo and José Carreras grace its proscenium arch theatre. “Almost exactly four years before the opening of Expo 2020 was the perfect time for Dubai Opera to open, in my view,” says Jasper Hope, Chief Executive of Dubai Opera. “To properly connect musical minds and to create a future for them in the UAE, it is essential to have a cultural hub and that’s one role we hope to fulfil, offering a stage to champion quality performance of all kinds and a platform to inspire the next generation.”
Maya Allison, Chief Curator at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and Founding Director of the university's Art Gallery, has witnessed just how much the art scene has grown. “Across the UAE, one sees various kinds of arts scenes, both established and deep alongside nascent and blossoming, and each is growing in different ways. Abu Dhabi’s cultural economy has blossomed recently, filling out the UAE’s arts scene alongside its well-established neighbour emirates, Sharjah and Dubai.
“The non-commercial art scene in the UAE has centred on Sharjah’s remarkable museums and foundations, and recently Abu Dhabi has become a focus for this activity, with the opening of Manarat Al Saadiyat, and especially Warehouse 421, as well as our own NYUAD Art Gallery. Dubai, meanwhile, nourishes a vibrant and exciting commercial gallery scene thanks to both Art Dubai and the galleries at DIFC and Al Serkal, with the latter making incredible strides in supporting the grass-roots community building and general excitement year-round.”
There certainly remains much interest in the art world in the UAE and this can be found in both galleries and the auction room. “As the auctioneer at our very first sale here in 2006, I remember feeling we had made a brave and bold decision to open a saleroom in Dubai and after that inaugural auction, we never doubted the spirit of the collectors and the excellence of the artists’ work,” says Jussi Pylkkänen, Christie’s Global President. “It is thanks to them that we have broken more than 400 artist records in the past decade, making a tangible contribution to the transformation of this market. The Dubai auctions in March are now recognised as an integral part of the global art market calendar,” he adds.
The emirate, and the country at large, is also becoming world renowned as a cultural destination.
“With the significant strides taken in recent years in art, design, fashion, film and now music, Dubai is an incredibly exciting cultural hotspot for the region and I think the world is definitely now starting to take notice,” says Hope.
