Ten artists in the Gulf shortlisted for $60,000 Richard Mille Art Prize

Those selected will showcase their work as part of the second Art Here exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Richard Mille Art Prize received 246 submissions from artists residing in the GCC. Photo: Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille have announced the 10 shortlisted artists for the 2022 Richard Mille Art Prize as part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition Art Here.

The art prize received 246 submissions from artists residing across the GCC.

Those chosen are from a diversity of backgrounds and work across a number of mediums and themes. They are: Afra Al Dhaheri from the UAE; Ayman Zedani from Saudi Arabia;Dana Awartani from Palestine; Elizabeth Dorazio from Brazil; Manal Al Dowayan from Saudi Arabia; Rand Abdul Jabbar from Iraq; Simrin Mehra Agarwal from India; Shaikha Al Mazrou from the UAE; Vikram Divecha, who was born in Beirut and raised in Mumbai and who lives in Dubai; and Zeinab AlHashemi from the UAE.

The artists were selected by a five-member jury who examined submissions based on proposals to engage with the idea of how the concept of “icon” and “iconic” resonates within contemporary art practices and how it informs new artistic perspectives.

The jury is made up of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, chairman of UAE Unlimited and an art collector, Morad Montazami, art historian and research curator at Tate Modern London, Hala Warde, founding architect of HW Architecture, Souraya Noujaim, director of scientific, curatorial and collections management at Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Reem Fadda, director of Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation and curator of this year's Art Here exhibition.

“It is an honour to curate the second edition of the Art Here exhibition and to work with a museum that continues to champion contemporary art in the UAE and wider the region,” said Fadda.

“I was thrilled to see the calibre of work the shortlisted artists put forward and believe that the exhibition will be stellar in terms of quality of production and discourse; a sentiment I am sure will be shared by our visitors and the cultural community at large.”

Artists will showcase their works at the museum in the second Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here exhibition, running from November 18 to February 19. The winner of the 2022 Richard Mille Art Prize, which will be announced early next year, will receive $60,000 in cash.

Impressionism at Louvre Abu Dhabi — in pictures

'Bazille Studio' (1870), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille and Edouard Manet. Victor Besa / The National

'Floor Scrapers' (1875), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

'In the Cafe' (1880), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

'The Bezique Game' (1880), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

'Spring' (1857), oil on canvas by Charles-Francois Daubigny. Victor Besa / The National

'Woman with a Coffee Pot' (1890-95), oil on canvas by Paul Cezanne. Victor Besa / The National

Sylvie Patry, chief curator and deputy director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at Musée d’Orsay. Victor Besa / The National

'Apples and Oranges' (1839), oil on canvas by Paul Cezanne. Victor Besa / The National

'The Pastures under a Cloudy Sky' (1856-60), oil on canvas by Constant Troyon. Victor Besa / The National

'Family Reunion' (1867-1841), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille. Victor Besa / The National

'The Cup of Chocolate' (1877-78), oil on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Victor Besa / The National

'The Ice Floes' (1880), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

'The Improvised Field Hospital' (1865), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille. Victor Besa / The National

'A Studio at Les Batignolles' (1870), oil on canvas by Henri Fantin-Latour. Victor Besa / The National

'The Two Sisters' (1863), oil on canvas by James Tissot. Victor Besa / The National

'Rue Montorgueil, Paris' (1878), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

'Saint-Lazare Railway Station' (1877), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

'The Balcony' (1868-69), oil on canvas by Edouard Manet. Victor Besa / The National

'Floor Scrapers' by Gustave Cailebotte, oil on canvas. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The exhibition is running until February. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

It highlights how the French artists, known as 'the impressionists', were rebels of their time. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Their vibrant brushstrokes and outdoor landscapes broke conventional art rules in the 19th century. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

'The Lady with the Glove' by Carlos-Duran. Khushnum Bhandari / The National