DOHA: With global sales mired in a slump, art dealers have turned to buyers in the oil-rich Gulf, where culture sector spending is on the rise.
Art Basel, which runs elite fairs in Miami, Hong Kong, Paris and Switzerland, held its Gulf debut in Qatar earlier this month.
“The second you land here, you see the ambition. It’s basically the future,” Andisheh Avini, a senior director at New York-based Gagosian Gallery, told AFP at the Doha fair.
“We see a lot of potential in this region and in Qatar,” Avini said, explaining it was “extremely important” for galleries to be exploring new consumer and collector bases.
“That’s why we’re here. And with patience and a long view, I think this is going to be a great hub,” he added.
