Christie’s is presenting London’s largest exhibition of Arab art so far.
Summer is one of London’s most bustling tourist seasons, and for many, the show will mark their first glimpse of Arab art.
Ridha Moumni, deputy chairman of Christie’s Middle East and North Africa, took this into account when planning the exhibition.
Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World opens on July 20 and runs until August 23. Moumni wanted to feature landmark pieces along with more cutting-edge works, with the goal, he says, being to showcase a genealogy of Arab creativity spanning more than 80 years – from 1939 to 2023.
“It is important for us to show that there is a very strong narrative around Arabic Modern art,” Moumni says. “But there is also continuity in the richness of the creativity of the artists of the region.”
Moumni has curated both sections of the sprawling exhibition. While one brings Arab masterpieces from the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation, the other is dedicated exclusively to contemporary Emirati art and was developed with the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth.
Kawkaba, Arabic for constellation, is the first section, which highlights 100 artworks from the Barjeel Art Foundation's collection. It features works by luminary figures of Arab art, including Marwan Kassab-Bachi, Mohamed Melehi, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Inji Efflatoun, Simone Fattal and Menhat Helmy, to name a few. Recent acquisitions by Barjeel, including pieces by Samia Osseiran Joumblatt and Mona Saudi, are also included.
“The selection was balanced and motivated by different criteria,” Moumni says. “There are masterpieces in the Barjeel collection that you can’t do without, artists like Saloua Raouda Choucair, Marwan, Mohamed Melehi. We need to represent them. I also wanted the presence of contemporary artists such as Nadia Ayari."
Then there are a handful of works by modern Arab artists who have not yet had their due exposure.
Sultan Al Qassemi, founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, says he was delighted with the neutrality with which Moumni selected works from the collection, showing no bias towards a particular country or region.
“I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of lesser-known artists who would generally get overlooked, such as Maysoun Jazairi from Syria, Sabiha Bishara from Kuwait, Moazaz Rawda from Lebanon and Iraq," Al Qassemi says.
Kawkaba is evenly divided between male and female artists, a direction that the Barjeel Art Foundation has been incorporating for a few years.
“It’s a policy that we started taking advantage of since 2019,” Al Qassemi says. “All our exhibitions that are drawn from our collection are a gender-balanced display. If, for instance, a museum wants to borrow works, they can choose to borrow more works by male artists or female artists. But if we are exhibiting works exclusively from the collection, we try to stick to a gender-balanced display.”
The section showcases two decades' worth of the foundation’s collection efforts. While some works have been previously exhibited in London, a lion’s share of the pieces will be making their debut in the British capital with the Christie’s exhibition.
“Twenty-one of the 100 works have never been shown at Barjeel anywhere. Ninety per cent of the works are recent acquisitions that have never been shown in London,” Al Qassemi says. He adds that the last time the foundation exhibited in London was in 2015. The exhibition, titled Imperfect Chronology, was held at the Whitechapel Gallery and was curated by Omar Kholeif.
The collection has expanded greatly since then, with a notable change in focus.
“The DNA of the institution has shifted into being a gender-balanced collection, into being a collection that highlights minorities, and one focusing on modern art,” says Al Qassemi. “These were the three major changes between our last display in London and this display.”
The second section of the exhibition, Emirati Art Reimagined: Hassan Sharif and the Contemporary Voices, highlights the contributions of one UAE artist who was pivotal in establishing the contemporary and conceptual art scene of the country and wider region.
“Drawing from one of the most comprehensive private collections of works by Hassan Sharif, Christie’s will exhibit around 30 works by the artist, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and objects spanning from the 1980s to the 2010s for private sale,” Moumni says.
“From his background in caricature art to his semi-systems and materials work, this collection reveals the iterative thinking and rigorous experimentation behind Sharif's practice”.
The collection of works presents the disparate forms of Sharif’s artistic practice, with paintings, sculptures, installations, works on paper and textiles from the 1980s up to 2015, the year before the artist’s death. The works will be presented alongside other pieces by contemporary UAE artists, highlighting works by youth and female artists.
The section, Moumni says, reflects “the ambitious thoughts and visions of Emirati artists as they explore the significance and the materiality of the art of their country."
Featured works by UAE artists include Mohammed Kazem's Acrylic on Scratched Paper, Alaa Edris's 2019 video piece Circus, an archival print Farah Al Qasimi's Curtain Shop, as well as The Red Dress, a 2016 work by Taqwa Al Naqbi composed of paper-making techniques as well as embroidery and Talli cotton thread.
“This exhibition is a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the artist conversation between past and present, tracing the legacy of Sharif's pioneering spirit through the vibrant works of today's artists who continue to advance the narrative of Emirati art”.
Between its two sections, Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World offers a chance to discover key pieces of modern and contemporary art from the region. For those who are more knowledgeable, the exhibition is a chance to draw new connections within 80 years of Arab art.
“London is probably one of the most important cultural destinations of the world,” Moumni says.
“We will be presenting in the middle of London in St James masterpieces of our art at the moment where the capital brings so many people from over the world. We will have a lot of people visiting from our region. The goal was to display this art, both for the people from our region, and also for the London public and visitors. I’m also thinking about all the universities around London. We don’t only want to attract visitors and tourists; we want to have an educational programme. We want visitors to be exposed to a different kind of art.”
Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World runs from July 20 to August 23 at Christie's London
The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Specs
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Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 395bhp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: from Dh321,200
On sale: now
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
