Not to do anything by halves, the pair flew in resident artist and personal friend Tetyana Yagodkina to conduct a live drawing show and a Ukrainian band to entertain guests. They also sold a number of pieces on the opening night and so far, interest has remained strong. “You know, the artists we represent are from the old academic school of painting and are stylistically very strong,” she muses. “I always say if you are making a house, there should be a strong base because once you have strong foundations you are secure. That is how I feel about our artists – they present beautiful, quality artwork and we think people will appreciate that.”
The expanding art scene in the UAE
Six years ago, when Art Dubai was in its infancy and Abu Dhabi Art didn't exist, you could count the number of independent art galleries in the UAE on one hand. So it is indicative of the rate of change that half a decade later, galleries are springing up so often that two come in the same week. Although the figure is not precise, there are now more than 50 galleries in the UAE and hundreds of home-grown artists laboriously carving out their own niches from studios across the country. The fact that there is space for specialist galleries dedicated to Ukrainian, Polish and Hungarian art and Indian Modernism and that both are reporting good sales also shows that our appetites are growing and our tastes maturing.
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