Under the patronage of General H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Chamberlain of the Court of Crown Prince H.H Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan opened today an exhibition of contemporary art in Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.

Organised by the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the exhibition is a world premiere of masterpieces from the private collection of renowned collector and art figure, Larry Gagosian at a press conference at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the new cultural exhibitions space at Saadiyat Island, in Abu Dhabi.

The exhibition RSTW features works from artists Rauschenberg, Ruscha, Serra, Twombly, Warhol and Wool. The exhibition will run from September 22 to January 24 and offers a novel insight into some of the pieces,. RSTW aims to challenge the perception of what it means to be a private collector and public figure simultaneously.

TDIC’s Managing Director Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi stated: "The opening of this exhibition is a significant milestone in the continued development of Abu Dhabi’s cultural offering. Organising an exhibition with new contemporary themes takes our capital city further on the world’s art scene. It is yet another example of Abu Dhabi challenging the conventional when developing its cultural credentials, and firmly demonstrates our goals as we continue to deliver the cultural vision of Abu Dhabi and its leaders, Their Highnesses Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan".

In Abu Dhabi for the premiere, Larry Gagosian said: "Manarat Al Saadiyat represents a beacon for Abu Dhabi’s emerging contemporary scene, and the efforts being made by the emirate to deliver a ground-breaking cultural district is testament to the leadership’s understanding of the importance of art. I am thrilled to be able to exhibit part of my collection here and look forward to witnessing the development of Abu Dhabi on the world’s art stage".

RSTW is a major step in the realisation of TDIC’s aim to provide a platform for an experiential exploration of art and culture. The exhibition dares to challenge and generate a new art concept and is emblematic of Abu Dhabi’s overall cultural strategy. The variety of forms and techniques of the works on show highlights TDIC’s holistic method of developing Abu Dhabi’s arts scene, in both instigating aesthetic discourses, while building a platform for audience engagement. TDIC is displaying some of the world’s indubitable masterpieces to an older generation who might never have experienced such works, and to the younger generation who are defining their own artistic and cultural impressions.

Manarat Al Saadiyat presents an opportunity for Abu Dhabi to make a statement of both regional and international significance. This contemporary collection parallels the idea of Abu Dhabi as a place of accelerated progress, raising debates about the definition of contemporary art in a space which is undergoing constant renewal. And with each of the artists featured in the exhibition being the offspring of second generation immigrants emerging from Europe, Manarat Al Saadiyat offers a new context for these artists’ masterpieces, creating challenging narratives and establishing the Middle East at the epicentre of a new arts movement.
 

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