Galleries' Harvest of Sales at Art Dubai 2017

Weekend Sales Report, Art Dubai (17 – 18 March 2017)

 CONTEMPORARY

This weekend was hugely successful for galleries in both the Modern and Contemporary halls, with works purchased steadily throughout by both individual private collectors, and by museums and institutions.

Zilberman

Zilberman have sold nine works this week, as well as selling two new commissions.

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  "All of the sales we have made were to people we have just met this week. Last year was very good, but it was all to existing clients - whereas this year has all been to new connections for us. We have sold works to all over the world:
London, France, Beirut, Dubai, Turkey and Bahrain, with prices ranging from 10,000-20,000 US Dollars, and commissions for around 40,000."

 - Moiz Zilberman, Founding Partner, Zilberman

Victoria Miro

Victoria Miro have nearly sold out their booth this week, with prices from 16,000 - 500,000 (USD), having sold work by all of the artists they brought with them, in addition to further works from the inventory.

  "This year has been very successful for us at Art Dubai - we nearly sold out the stand and have sold works by Idris Khan, Alex Hartley and Yayoi Kusama. We feel this year has really seen the fruit of our and the fair's labour - proof of the time we have put in for the past 5 years here in Dubai, consolidating relationships, as well as establishing new ones."

- Fabian Lang, Associate Sales Director, Victoria Miro

Mind Set Art Center, Taipei

"This is our second time at the fair (returning from last year) and we're happy to have sold work to a collector that we met for the first time last year at the fair. We've also met new individual collectors, mainly from Europe. The fair feels different this year – it seems to be broadening and exploring further regions and counties. This year it's vivid and varied, with different perspectives; other fairs tend to focus on one genre or region - here you can see so many different expressions."

- Queena Chu, Director, Mind Set Art Center

Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai

"We've had a phenomenal fair this year! We've sold works by Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Adel Abidin, Mounir Fatmi, and Nick Devereux and we've made some really amazing new contacts this year."

- Asmaa Al-Shabibi, Co-founder and Director, Lawrie Shabibi

Selma Feriani Gallery London / Tunis

"It's been absolutely fantastic – we're hitting the right notes critically, publicly and commercially.  We've almost sold out the booth too - there are exactly 2 pieces left. Nonetheless, the pieces in the booth have generated a lot of interest - people have left the booth smiling."

- Javier Robledo, Gallery Manager, Selma Feriani Gallery

Galerie Daniel Templon, Brussels / Paris

"We're really happy and we've had a great week. There is a vibrant energy here around the fair and it's been a really positive experience for us."

- Lara Sedbon, Associate Director, Galerie Daniel Templon

Ab-Anbar, Tehran

"We are very happy with this edition, and are looking forward to next year!"

- Yasaman Matinfar, Manager, Ab-Anbar

Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam

"We've made sales, we've met new people, we made it into the press – everything you want from an art fair. We also met some institutional connections which was interesting. The works in our booth sold for between 10,000-15,000EURO. We're looking forward to next year."

- Nieck de Bruijn, Founder and Owner, Upstream Gallery

Kasia Michalski Gallery, Warsaw 

"Networking-wise it was a great fair - there were a lot of directors from international institutions coming to visit the booth, and we had some great conversations. It was definitely worth coming and we also made some sales which was brilliant! Everyone loved the parrot works..."

- Aleksandra Urbańska, Gallery Manager, Kasia Michalski Gallery

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MODERN

Wadi Finan Art Gallery, Amman

"We're very happy this year. The fair has had amazing attendance, we've had exposure to a larger group of collectors this year and we've got to meet more people from all over the world. Sales were excellent - we've sold 8/13 pieces for 30,000USD and up."

- Raya Kassisieh, Associate Director, Wadi Finan Art Gallery

Perve Galeria, Lisbon

"I've been coming to the fair for several years, and this is the second time we've exhibited. This year was much better for business, with the first couple of days in particular full of collectors. We're happy to have sold many works by Manuel Figureira, one of which will be placed in an important Emirati collection. Works were sold between 3,000 - 12,000 USD to private collectors and there were a few further interested institutions. We were invited to show all the remaining unsold work from our booth at an institution in Riyadh through an introduction from a visiting collector."

- Carlos Cabral Nunes, Manger/ Curator, Perve Galleria

Grosvenor Gallery, London

"We've had two booths at the fair this year - in Modern we've had Sayed Haider Raza, and in Contemporary - Olivia Fraser. Olivia's work has sold very well, with about ¾ of the booth selling in Contemporary for between 3500 - 15,000 GBP. Modern is more of a slow burner but we've sold some works to clients and are also optimistic about further interest gained here post-Art Dubai."

–    Charles Moore, Director, Grosvenor Gallery.

Sales during the week

CONTEMPORARY

Strong sales continue to be reported inside the gallery halls today ( Thursday, March 16) including those at:

Marianne Boesky, New York

"We've sold some works by Diana [al-Hadid], some Claudia Wieser works, and hopefully we'll hear about Donald Moffett tomorrow. Prices for works sold have ranged from $8000 to $500,000. We really enjoy it here and we're always happy to come back. Everyone's very welcoming - lots of new faces and very positive to see familiar faces as well. The fair did a lot of outreach to museums this year, and you can tell as the institutional presence is strong."

- Adrian Turner, director at Marianne Boesky Gallery

Waddington Custot, London

Waddington Custot reported a particularly successful day at the fair, including sales of works such as:

- A work on paper by Frank Stella priced at USD 45,000

- A Marc Quinn commission of an 'Eye of History'

- 2 recent paintings by Fabienne Verdier (who recently had a solo show in London) - priced at EUR 110,000 and EUR 70,000

- A solid reserve on a work on paper by Ian Davenport priced at USD 85,000

Experimenter, Kolkata

"We are very happy with Art Dubai this year. There's been an incoming of new and international collectors who are brand new to the fair – plus the institutional presence has been strong - and we've done very well. We've placed almost all of the work in the booth into very important collections. We're grateful to the team for all the work they've put in to make this happen"

– Priyanka Raja, director, Experimenter

Galeri Brandstrup, Oslo

"We're really happy, it's our first time at the fair and it's going great. Lots of interest from everyone."

MODERN

Sales at Art Dubai Modern have been consistent, with galleries reporting a rise in international institutional presence this year and interest from collectors both locally and globally. There's also been a particular interest in galleries from the Iranian contingent and a sharpened focus on Modern Masters from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.

Aria Gallery, Tehran

"Lots of great interest - the booth has been very busy."

Tafeta, London

"Very pleased to have sold a work "shy of $10,000 to an Emirati collector".  It's their first time at the fair – "We are particularly interested in Art Dubai as it allows us to exclusively focus on 20th-century African Art. It's been a wonderful experience so far, and there's been lots of engagement". 

-     Ayo Adeyinka, Director at Tafeta.

Sales results from Wednesday

CONTEMPORARY

Galleries reported strong sales in the first hours of opening this year. Including:

Kalfayan Galleries, Greece

"It was a very well attended opening and there was a great vibe. We sold works from almost all of the artists that we were showing, including Panos Tsagaris, Kostis Velonis, Antonis Donef, and Tassos Pavlopoulos, with prices ranging from €7,500 to €25,000".

- Yuli Karatsiki, Kalfayan Galleries

BackerStrasse4 / Galerie Michael Sturm, Vienna/ Germany

"The first day was fantastic - it's our first time being here and we're off to a very good start. We've sold work by every artist we brought, with prices ranging from ¢3,000 (dollars) to 240,000. We've met new collectors - local and international, including from Dubai, Germany, France, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain". 

- Michael Sturm, Galerie Michael Sturm

Victoria Miro, London 

"This is the most successful fair we've ever had in Dubai. We sold most of the booth of the fair within hours of opening. With prices ranging from 20,000 to 800,000 (dollars), we have sold to both local and international collectors. Every year the business here gets stronger and stronger". 

- Glenn Scott Wright, Victoria Miro 

Ayyam Gallery, Dubai

"We've had a lot of interest, mainly from European institutions".

- Ead Samawi, Ayyam Gallery

Vermelho, Sao Paolo

"This is our first time at the fair - we've sold two pieces, by Jonathas de Andrade and Ivan Argote, for 35,000 and 14,000."

- Juan Eyheremendy, Vermelho

Franco Noero, Torino

"Really successful opening - we sold many works"

MODERN

Galleries reported strong sales at Art Dubai Modern over the past couple of days, with dealers also reporting strong general interest, with a fairly even split between known and new clients from around the world. 

ArtTalks, Egypt

"Art Dubai 2017 is our first ever art fair, and we're delighted with how it's gone - we've sold 5 works, ranging from 1500 to 80,000 dollars".  

- Cherine Chafik, ArtTalks

Gallery One, Ramallah

"This is our first time at Modern (with a solo exhibit of work by Sliman Mansour) and we've so far sold 8 works all to new clients, ranging from 8,000 to 70,000 dollars. Works included On The Edge (1985) for $60,000, Sisters ($20,000), Sad Tunes I ($7,000) Sad Tunes II ($14,000) and Harvest ($12,000).".

Art Talks, Cairo

Reported sales of two Ghaleb Khater and two Yamdouh Ammak oils to new and existing clients. 

Grosvenor Gallery, London

Showing a solo exhibit of work by Indian master SH Raza, of which five sold today, two to institutions and three to private collectors. 

Elmarsa Gallery, Tunisia

Reported "many sales" of work by Abdelkader Guermaz, including 'Dunes Perverses' (1978) at $75,000.

Elmarsa also confirmed sales of Aly Ben Salem's 'The Woman And The Falconer' to a new collector for approximately $60,000 whilst 'Woman Resting And Peacock' went to an existing client for around $60,000. 

Hafez Gallery, Jeddah

Reported three significant sales today, including Mohammed Ghaleb Khater's 'The March' ("1970s") at $75,000, and 'Stamp Of Nation' (1970) raising a sum not unadjacent to $80,000 while sculptor Abdel Hadi Al Weshahi's 'The Oud Player' (1990) bagged a sum in the vicinity of $45,000