Opera Gallery opened in November 2008, a week before the global crisis hit the UAE. Its plan? To bring to the Middle East its impressive collection of art from masters like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Jean Dubuffet - and the list goes on.
In two years, DIFC's Gate Village has been bombarded with some of the best art galleries in town but this venue always manages to entice passers-by with its tasteful art displays. It attracts a diverse crowd, from well-travelled tourists to business executives looking to splurge their excessive income on quality art. Whatever the attraction, there's never a dull moment here.
"It was very challenging when we first opened but we always knew that art does well in a recession - it's a safe investment, an alternative option for people who don't want to put their money into property or gold," explains Bertrand Epaud, general manager of Opera Gallery Dubai. "One of the main benefits of working with Opera is that it has a strong network across the world with art venues in New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong," he adds. During our leisurely conversation Bertrand welcomes everyone that walks in. There's no pressure to buy, you can visit for business or pleasure and it's all about enjoying the experience. At one point he excuses himself to escort a group of New York bankers who need an expert opinion on a selection of paintings they've seen on the ground floor. On the first floor by the entrance, an elderly woman and her son admire Laurence Jenkell's huge bonbon candy sculptures designed with wrappings influenced by fashion, country flags and ‘New Realism.'
Opera is considered the leader in world galleries, which explains why Dubai was chosen as its hub for the Middle East and Asia region. "It's a great transit place for everyone and you can target the whole region," says Bertrand. As one of the first three outlets to open in DIFC, a relatively new area in Dubai at the time, he soon realised it would take them longer than expected to establish themselves so he decided to exhibit Picasso's masters in a museum in Oman. In 2009, he held exhibitions in Beirut, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. This created a great platform for them in the GCC and attracted a large number of private art collectors.
Opera is the only art space in the region that has original masterpieces displayed on a permanent basis. "We wanted to be different and it's important that everyone have their breathing space. That's one of the reasons we don't specialise in Middle Eastern art, but we have paintings and sculptures from Europe, Latin America, Japan and Korea. The gallery has over 500 different types of art on display and we hold exhibitions on a regular basis, but generally we only display the art for two weeks," says Bertrand. "We want to help emerging artists and expose them to different markets. One of the things I want to do is headhunt artists from Turkey, Iran and Pakistan and present their work in New York."
Locally, Opera's been busy with the launch of its new gallery in Dubai Mall, which opened in June. "We'll target a different type of audience here," explains Bertrand. "Everyone visiting Dubai will pass by this mall, the location is great." And I'm sure the art collection is too.
