Abu Dhabi artists find a home

Sheikh Zayed, along with the Sheikh Saqr form RAK and Sheikh Hamid form Fujairah (on his right and second right), at the Cultural Foundation in the late 1980s.

Abu Dhabi Art is taking place this weekend for the second time in the capital, so it's a good time to look back at the fundamentals that encouraged the emergence of art in the city.

In this week's Time Frame, Sheikh Zayed visits an exhibition, the central point of which were the textiles on a model camel, at the Cultural Foundation in the 1980s. At his side are Sheikh Saqr Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, and Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, the Ruler of Fujairah.

Sheikh Zayed encouraged Emirati artists to exhibit regularly at the Cultural Foundation. He visited art galleries to support the younger generation, which was beginning to express itself in the visual arts.

The Cultural Foundation was for many years the only place in Abu Dhabi where artists could meet, share their thoughts, learn from each other and display their artworks in exhibitions and participate in competitions. Since the 1980s the Cultural Foundation has offered regular workshops, where residents of all ages can learn the basics of calligraphy, silk drawing, oil or watercolour painting, drawing with pencil or charcoal, and sculpture.

* The National

Time Frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Each week it features an image from the archives of both prominent institutions and private collections. Readers are invited to make contributions to [e-mail]