Melissa Gronlund

Connect
Art fairsanalysis

Abu Dhabi Art 2024 is bigger than ever—but conflict in Lebanon and Gaza looms large

Meanwhile rumours of Art Basel parent company MCH investing into the fair were being widely discussed

'We have been able to act as a safe space': amid war in Gaza, London's Mosaic Rooms announces major expansion plans

The non-profit space dedicated to Arab culture has been a vocal supporter of a ceasefire, and now aims to increase its space and income streams

Long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum partially opens—but Tutankhamun Gallery remains closed

Some of the galleries in the museum near the Giza pyramids are now open to the public

Taliban pledges to protect Buddhist city by mining underground

Afghan minister says that copper extraction by a Chinese company at Mes Aynak, an important archaeological site, will avoid damage to relics

Two important private collections will take centre stage in Saudi Arabia's Islamic Arts Biennale next year

The second edition of the event will also include loans from the Louvre, the Bodleian Library, the Qatar National Library, and the Vatican—which does not have diplomatic relations with the kingdom

Homecoming for one of Egypt’s leading artists as Wael Shawky shows at the country’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Shawky’s work for the Biennale, involving 400 cast and crew, recounts a 19th-century anti-colonialist uprising

'No business as usual': Pro-Palestinian protests held at heart of Venice Biennale

Organised by the Art Not Genocide Alliance, the demonstration criticised international support for the Israeli government’s campaign against Gaza

Moroccan pavilion cancelled at the 2024 Venice Biennale

Plans for country to make its Venice debut have been dropped, but no one—including the artists due to show there—knows why

The art market counts the logistical cost of the Red Sea conflict

Houthi rebel attacks on cargo ships are creating headaches for dealers and auction houses who need to ship art

Dubai market shifts towards emerging homegrown artists

As the latest Art Dubai fair opens, the city's art scene is maturing, with international collectors and curators snapping up young Emirati artists

Art Dubaipreview

Our pick of some of the best exhibitions to see during Art Dubai

From Cartier's Islamic inspiration at the Louvre Abu Dhabi to Pakistani artist and activist Lala Rukh at the Sharjah Art Foundation

Emirati artists create public sculpture together after refusing to compete for the commission

Five artists collaborated on the sculpture, which has been unveiled outside Dubai's Etihad Museum

London’s Middle Eastern art sales have defied tensions

Auction purchases by Arab cultural entities overcome early uncertainties of Israel-Hamas war

Ancient Yazidi heritage still under threat after Isis genocide

Around 200,000 Yazidis remain displaced following attacks, and efforts to restore shrines and other buildings have stalled due to ongoing security concerns and a lack of funding

After Isis, Mosul Museum is rebuilt from the rubble

The terrorist group almost destroyed the museum in 2014. Less than a decade later, it is beginning to exhibit once again

Abu Dhabi: six of the emirate's best arts and culture institutions

As the Richard Mille Art Prize enters its second year at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, we take a look at some of the organisations that are helping to sustain the arts and culture communities

In partnership withRichard Mille

Giacometti Foundation director outlines vision for new museum on Paris’s left bank

French billionaire Xavier Niel will fund the renovation of Gare des Invalides site

New digital art archive launched to help Yazidi community rebuild after genocide

Available on the Google Arts & Culture platform, the project is the result of a year-long series of workshops in northern Iraq

Investigative artists Forensic Architecture claim to uncover new evidence in shooting of Al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh

Working with human rights organisation Al-Haq, new report says journalists were deliberately targeted by Israeli forces in May

Saudi Arabian pavilion: Exhibition rings the changes

Choice of artist Muhannad Shono for the national pavilion is a sign itself of the country’s social and political shift

Christie’s Middle East chairman Michael Jeha is stepping down after 23 years at the end of this month

Jeha began his career at the auction house as an intern in the Impressionism department

Saudi Arabia's cultural scene is in a moment of decisive shift

The inaugural Diriyah Biennale and the opening of Hayy Jameel are the latest in a series of initiatives helping the kingdom emerge from artistic isolation

Abu Dhabianalysis

Abu Dhabi plans two new museums in addition to Guggenheim and Zayed

Announcement was made at yesterday's preview of Abu Dhabi Art 2021, where cultural leaders were keen to emphasise their commitment to the emirate following its strict lockdown

Expo Dubai finally opens after a year of delays—and its public art commissions are set to stay long after the exhibition

The new works will play a key role when the Expo site becomes a real estate mega plan called District 2020

An ancient Buddhist city is perched on top of an Afghan copper reserve worth $50 billion—what will happen to it under Taliban control?

Cultural heritage workers estimate they have five years to secure the heritage site’s contents before it is destroyed to extract the ore

The fight to save Saudi Arabia’s Modern architecture

The reaction to the destruction of Al Rabooa mosque highlights changing attitudes to the conservation of Modernist and post-Modernist buildings in the kingdom

Mosul Cultural Museum rises from the ravages of Isis

Painstaking reconstruction by multi-agency task force is salvaging what artefacts remain after Islamic State occupation

Saudi Arabia pushes forward with plans for cultural 'renaissance' with vast light festival full of both local and big-name artists

Agencies seem to be betting that time and increased exposure to the kingdom will wear down Western qualms over its human rights record

UAEnews

First MFA programme and new Arab art centre boost Emirates art scene

New York University Abu Dhabi's postgraduate art course will start next autumn and cost $140,000 over two years