British Artist Sacha Jafri Sells Massive Painting For £45m
The world’s largest painting, created by a little-known British artist Sacha Jafri, has been sold at auction in Dubai for £45m to French crypto businessman Andre Abdoune. The painting, which measures 1,600 sq m 17,000 sq ft was sold to raise funds for children’s charities. The artist spent eight months painting the canvas in a hotel ballroom in Dubai.
Originally Jafri had planned to sell it in 70 pieces, but Abdoune has bought the entire work. This makes the painting one of the most expensive ever sold at auction by a living artist. The funds raised will go to Dubai Cares, Unicef, Unesco and the Global Gift Foundation to help disadvantaged children in countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa.
Art Dubai Launches On 29th March – Galleries Announced
Art Dubai, which launches from 29 March to 3 April 2021 at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is one of the Middle East’s leading art fairs for the local, regional and international art world. The 14th edition of Art Dubai will feature 50 galleries from 31 countries with a focus on artists from the Middle East and the Global South. Since 2007 Art Dubai has championed art and artists from across the Middle East, broadening conversations about art beyond traditional Western-led geographical scopes and narratives.
In keeping with Dubai’s reputation as a hub for innovation, incubation, and knowledge exchange, Art Dubai provides a sustainable platform for artists and meaningful engagement with the region’s rich cultural heritage and contemporary art practices. Featuring contemporary and modern gallery sections, annual artist-driven commissions, collector and education programmes and artist residencies, the fair fosters a culture of discovery and new global perspectives.
Participating Galleries:
+2, Tehran, Gallery 1957, Accra, Addis Fine Art, Addis Ababa/London, Aicon Art, New York, Akka Project, Venice/Dubai, Galería Albarrán Bourdais, Madrid, Gallery ArtBeat, Tbilisi, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi/London, Comptoir des Mines Galerie, Marrakech, GALLERIA CONTINUA, San Gimignano/Beijing/Les Moulins/Havana/Rome/São Paulo/Paris Custot Gallery Dubai, Dubai, Dastan’s Basement, Tehran
ELMARSA GALLERY, Dubai/Tunis, Experimenter, Kolkata, Eye for Art, Houston, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Dubai, Gazelli Art House, Baku/London, Hafez Gallery, Jeddah, Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai/New York
Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery,London/Berlin, Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai, Mark Hachem, Beirut/Paris/New York, Gallery Misr, Cairo, Meem Gallery, Dubai
Mono Gallery, Riyadh, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels, PERROTIN, Hong Kong/Seoul/Tokyo/Shanghai/Paris/New York, Giorgio Persano, Turin, Perve Galeria, Lisbon, RONCHINI, London, The Rooster Gallery, Vilnius SANATORIUM, Istanbul, SARADIPOUR Art Gallery, Los Angeles Galerie—Peter—Sillem, Frankfurt Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg Silverlens, Manila, Stems Gallery, Brussels, TAFETA, London/Lagos, TEMPLON, Paris/Brussels, The Third Line, Dubai
Tropical Futures Institute, Cebu City Vermelho, São Paulo, Vin Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City Yusto/Giner, Marbella, Zawyeh Gallery, Ramallah/Dubai Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, Luxembourg
Qatar Museums Unveil Inaugural Tasweer Photo Festival
Qatar Museums inaugurate Tasweer Photo Festival Qatar on 24 March, with a dynamic and interconnected programme of exhibitions. The inaugural festival will feature the Sheikh Saoud Al ThaniAwards, commissions, collaborations, presentations and workshops that draw innovative international photography together with photographers and photographic communities in Qatar and the Western Asia and North Africa (WANA) region.
Established by Qatar Museums, the festival builds on a commitment to nurture artistic talent, develop Qatar’s arts economy and support creative industry. M7, Qatar’s new hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in the creative industries, will serve as the central location for Tasweer.
“Tasweer was created to champion the medium of photography and will serve as a resource for artists in Qatar and the region,” said Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. “The development of this platform builds on the efforts of the past. The incorporation of the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani photography awards as part of this initiative is to increase the visibility of the talents that we have, and invest in the ecosystem for creative growth. The first photography award in Qatar was established more than twenty years ago — and as we look forward we will continue to grow our collections and to support aspiring photographers and collectors.” Al Thani continues, “I am grateful to all the collaborators, organizations and individuals who have come together to kick start Tasweer — I have no doubt in the impact this will have to our country’s creative and economic growth.”