Students will learn about the development of the contemporary art scene, the emergence of the art market, patronage and collecting across the Middle East. How does art in the region merge tradition and modernity, local and global, political and personal, and how are these patterns reflected in the artists’ choice of subject matter and medium? How is conceptual language translated and perceived by the audience both at home and abroad? The strand will explore the growing art scene and the simultaneous explosion of the art market centred mainly around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. The rise of new collectors, both locally and internationally, and the renaissance of art patronage in these vast and anything but homogenous regions are all topics to be covered in this final series of lectures.
The course will be presented by leading scholars, experts, curators and dealers in the field including Hossein Amirsadeghi, Dr Rebecca Bridgman, Rose Issa, Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan, Nat Muller, Venetia Porter, Stephen Stapleton, and others.
The lectures will take place every Tuesday, 14 April - 9 June, at Leighton House Museum and will be complemented by visits to galleries and auction houses.
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