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When Find Art Experts recently traveled to the Middle East, we were were interested to determine whether or not there was any truth to the Western notion that women in the Arab world are oppressed and given little opportunity for artistic self-expression. We found instead that Arab women artists are doing great works. Here is one important Arabic female artist that caught our attention:

Thuraya Al-Baqsami was born in Kuwait in 1951. In 1956, Thuraya was sent to the Choueifat boarding school in Lebanon, however she returned to Kuwait as a civil war broke out in Lebanon in 1958.

In 1974 she moved to Moscow. She enrolled in the Surikov Institute – one of Russia’s most renowned art universities – and eventually completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees there. Her exposure to a Russian art training was extremely beneficial. She was taught that being an artist was a profession, and that she should view her work as legitimate labor, a revolutionary idea for her at the time. Having that mindset lit a spark, and motivated her to tackle her work with a much more dedicated attitude. It is here that she learned various graphic print-making techniques – namely lithograph and linocut – that greatly affected her creative output. Later in life, her work became best known for these graphic techniques, which were virtually unheard of in the Arab world. 

Her work presents a strong voice in the region, one that does not bow down to the societal and political pressures it faced and continues to face. Her idiosyncratic background and multi-cultural exposure creates a mélange of histories, concepts and forms in her works that are still ever changing and evolving today.

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Three Billboards Outside Abu Dhabi - An Art Gallery on a Highway in the Middle of the Desert

When Find Art Experts attended the Art Dubai international art fair several weeks ago, we also decided to plan a road trip and drive from Dubai straight to the newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi. We quickly discovered that along the way there was no need to play any road-trip games like the childhood favorite, "I Spy" to keep us entertained.

Much to our delight and amazement, a drive-by "highway gallery" sits in the middle of the desert alongside the 85-mile stretch of busy road en route from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.  Before arriving at our destination at the Louvre Adu Dhabi, we were able to view three important works from the museum collection showcased on 30 by 20 foot billboards. We didn't have to squint an eye to see masterworks such as, Vincent van Gogh's Self Portrait,  the sarcophagus of Egyptian princess, Henuttaway, or Piet Mondrian's Composition With Blue, Red, Yellow and Black. To enhance the experience, you can tune into Emarat FM (95.8 FM) to hear a 30 second description of each work of art from a curator. All this without even shelling out a single dirham!

This initiative, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism, was created "to reinforce the role of art in elevating everyday life into something beautiful and memorable." #findartexperts #louvreabudhabi  #highwaygallery  #artdubai

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Five Ladies of the Louvre Abu Dhabi: A Female Focus in the First Universal Museum in the Arab World

When Find Art Experts visited the recently opened Louvre Abu Dhabi, one striking observation was how women play an integral role in the pieces on display. Featured throughout the 600 pieces shown, women can be viewed in a variety of forms- painted in exquisite portraiture, encased in sarcophagi, and formed in sculpture.

La Belle Ferronnaire - one of Leonardo da Vinci's less than twenty known surviving paintings - is among the high-profile loans made to the museum. This masterpiece by da Vinci was the first artwork that the Abu Dhabi and Cultural Authority, Musee du Louvre and Agence France-Museums announced would be loaned to the Louvre Abu Dhabi from the Louvre in Paris during its first year in operation.  La Belle Ferronnaire  is one of the many 'Ladies of the Louvre' Abu Dhabi worth viewing when visiting the museum. This masterpiece by da Vinci will soon be joined by another work by the master, the highly anticipated and recently acquired, Salvador Mundi, which will be unveiled as part of the museum’s permanent collection. 

The Louvre Abu Dhabi provides a fascinating link between Leonardo, and Bellini, a painter whose technique he admired. Madonna and Child  is an oil on panel painted between 1480 and 1485. Considered the father of Renaissance painting, Bellini specialized in devotional paintings. This piece, another 'Lady of the Louvre,' depicts the Christ child sitting on a parapet atop the Madonna's scarlet robes, gazing up at her as she looks lovingly down on him, her hands in prayer position.

Another female subject, on loan to Louvre Abu Dhabi from the Collection Centre Pompidou, is Albert Giacometti's Standing Woman II, circa 1959-1960.  With it's rough surface and elongated frame, the Surrealist Swiss artist's figure embodies one of his traditional subject matters - the unclothed female form.

The Egyptian princess Henuttaway is among the works from ancient Egypt in the form of a sarcophagus which dates to the latter half of the 10th century B.C. A curator explained the great care and attention given to the delicate features of the princess's face, with her painted open eyes still watching us across the millennia.

In the permanent collection, an air of mystery and allure surrounds a distinctive 4,000 year-old sculpture discovered in modern day Afghanistan. The Bactrain Princess is strangely beautiful, but also strangely alien. She wears a woven dress carved out of soft stone, with her handless arms outstretched, an ivory mask-like face, and sharply outlined, oval eyes staring back at us. It is believed the Bactrain Princess was used as part of a religious ritual - perhaps a funeral.

At Find Art Experts, we believe it is important to know and be curious about the roles of women. The way in which women are depicted in art from modern societies to ancient civilizations across the world furthers this fundamental understanding. The Louvre Abu Dhabi shares with the visitor a rare glimpse into the female focus of world art through the ages.   #louvreabudhabi    #findartexperts   #ladiesofthelouvre   

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Find Art Experts was honored to receive a personal invitation to attend a presentation by Emirati and French representatives of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, entitled: A Unique Cross-Cultural Collaboration

Louvre Abu Dhabi was born from a unique intergovernmental agreement between the United Arab Emirates and France. The agreement embodies a vision shared by France and Abu Dhabi to develop the first universal museum in the Arab world, as described in this video by Emirati and French representatives.

As per the intergovernmental agreement, Louvre Abu Dhabi has invaluable access to expertise and training from 17 French partner institutions, as well as loans of 300 significant works from 13 leading French art museums, such as: Musee du Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Musee d’Orsay, Musee Rodin, Chateau de Versailles, among many other prominent museums. These include masterpieces representing civilizations and artistic movements from significant moments in global human history, including ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, ancient Chinese dynasties, Africa, the Renaissance, and the Impressionists and Modernists. Many of these works are displayed in Abu Dhabi for the very first time, including Leonardo da Vinci’s seminal work La Belle Ferronniere on loan from Musee du Louvre, and the highly anticipated and recently acquired, Salvador Mundi, which will soon be unveiled as part of the museum’s permanent collection. #LouvreAbuDhabi #FindArtExperts #globalart

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Because the art world offers so many delightful things to look at, spending money is easy. However, the ease of buying can disguise the challenges of selling.

Most top notch auction houses only want to sell works by artists with proven names. Conversely, artists without a proven track record, or those who have fallen off the radar, will not be considered. Other than the handful of proven blue-chip artists whose works regularly appear at auction, most of the rest sells for far less. Galleries are usually reluctant to resell works they have already sold, because they typically make more money selling a new work by the same artist.

Due to the fact that selling art can often be a complicated and nuanced process, those without privileged access may be at a significant disadvantage.

Consult our expert directory at www.findartexperts.com to find accurate, trustworthy answers to all of your art market questions.

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Taking its distinct identity from a line-up of 105 galleries from 48 countries, Art Dubai is the preeminent place to interact with art from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia through a number of high-profile art galleries from across the region.

Follow our news posts as we explore the international art scene in the Middle East, and add to our art expert database!

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Series 1; EP2 - From our Intelligent Collector Video Library - Experts from Heritage Auctions discuss how condition affects value in areas ranging from comic books, manuscripts, jewelry, collectibles, sports memorabilia, to coins and more. Find out how to preserve condition and properly store cherished belongings.

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Series 1: EP 1: Wine 101

Wine 101 is the first podcast/video in our new blog series, "The Intelligent Collector" that will give practical advice from top-level experts sharing their advice, lessons, and collecting strategies on the hottest collecting categories. 

Wine 101 - Is Investing in Wine a Good Idea?

In truth, most wine collectors become investors by pure accident. When their cellars become too crowded, they sell a few bottles and, in the process, often reap surprising gains.

One reason is that perhaps more than any other asset, the supply of fine wine is finite – when each bottle of any particular fine wine is consumed, its supply goes down. A perfect example of this is what is known as the “Lafite Phenomenon.” Because of its association with success, Chateau Lafite has recently become the number one status symbol in China, causing some vintages to go up nearly tenfold in value over the last decade. In China, the demand for blue chip investment grade wines has soared to the point where Unites States based auction houses achieve most of their turn over in Hong Kong.

If you are a collector of fine wine, perhaps you've spent years, even decades, putting your fine wine collection together, and maybe the time has come to have it appraised or sold. Or perhaps you've inherited some rare wines as part of an estate.

Whatever your situation, whatever your reason, www.auctionyourwine.com  provides a broad range of fine wine appraisal, advisory and auction services, that helps clients manage their wine cellars and portfolios.

If you want to know more about fine wine, pour yourself a glass, relax and listen to Caroline Ashleigh's podcast interview with Martin Willis of Antique Auction Forum for an in depth look at appraising, evaluating and auctioning fine wines. Bring cheese and crackers!