The Gulf art market beyond the fairs: Sharjah, Jeddah and Riyadh day to day

01Sharjah, the overlooked cultural capital

Sharjah occupies a unique place in the Gulf's cultural landscape. Designated Cultural Capital of the Arab World by UNESCO in 1998, this emirate neighbouring Dubai has developed an ambitious cultural policy driven by the vision of ruler Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, himself passionate about art and history. The Sharjah Art Foundation, directed by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, has become one of the world's most respected contemporary art institutions, and the Sharjah Biennial, founded in 1993, is considered by many professionals as the Middle East's most intellectually ambitious artistic event.

But Sharjah is not reducible to its biennial. Outside major events, the city houses a network of galleries and exhibition spaces that operate year-round. Maraya Art Centre, renamed Maraya Art Park, presents contemporary art exhibitions in rehabilitated industrial spaces. Sharjah's arts quarter, centred around the Heritage Area and Sharjah Art Foundation spaces, hosts artist residencies, educational programmes and temporary exhibitions that maintain continuous cultural activity. Local galleries such as Barjeel Art Foundation, founded by collector Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, contribute to structuring an ecosystem where contemporary Arab and international art coexist in permanent dialogue. The Barjeel collection, comprising hundreds of works by artists from the Arab world, has been exhibited at international institutions including the Whitechapel Gallery in London, attesting to the Gulf's capacity to produce collections of global significance.

The European dealer visiting Sharjah outside the biennial discovers a calm, studious artistic environment where conversations are deeper and relationships easier to forge than amid the frenzy of an international event. The foundation regularly organises residency programmes and professional gatherings that offer valuable contact opportunities for galleries wishing to understand the local scene.

02Jeddah, the gateway to the Saudi market

Jeddah is historically Saudi Arabia's most cosmopolitan city, and its art scene reflects this openness. Even before the cultural reforms undertaken under Vision 2030, Jeddah possessed a fabric of galleries and collectors that made it the kingdom's unofficial art capital. Athr Gallery, founded in 2009 by Hamza Serafi and Mohammed Hafiz, played a pioneering role by representing contemporary Saudi and Middle Eastern artists and projecting them onto the international stage. The gallery, which has participated in Art Basel, Frieze and other major fairs, demonstrated that the Saudi market could produce galleries meeting international standards.

Jeddah's open-air sculpture museum, initiated in the 1970s and 1980s under the impetus of Mayor Mohammed Said Farsi, constitutes a curiosity unique in the world: a collection of monumental sculptures installed in the city's public space, including works by Jean Arp, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Joan Miro and Cesar. This collection, attesting to a visionary acquisition policy for its time, remains an important cultural landmark for the city and for Saudi collectors who see in it proof that their country has long maintained a relationship with international contemporary art.

The historic Al-Balad quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has become a venue for exhibition and artistic programming where galleries and cultural spaces are established in restored traditional houses. This cultural revitalisation of the historic centre creates a singular exhibition setting that attracts artists and professionals from around the world. The European dealer visiting Jeddah outside fairs finds a city in full cultural effervescence, where collaboration opportunities are numerous and where demand for international contemporary art is supported by an educated, well-travelled collector class.

03Riyadh, the institutional ambition

Riyadh is the heart of the Saudi cultural ambition driven by Vision 2030, the kingdom's economic and social transformation plan. The Diriyah project, transforming the historic site of the first Saudi state's founding into a premier cultural and tourist quarter, includes museum spaces, galleries and exhibition venues aiming to make the capital a major cultural hub. The creation of the Visual Arts Commission and the development of the Misk Foundation, supported by the Crown Prince, attest to a political will at the highest level to structure the Saudi cultural sector. The annual Noor Riyadh festival, which transforms the city into an open-air light gallery with installations by leading international artists, illustrates the scale of the capital's cultural ambitions.

On a daily basis, Riyadh houses a growing number of galleries that attest to the local scene's vitality. Hafez Gallery, one of the city's oldest, represents Saudi and Arab artists with a programme blending tradition and contemporaneity. SAB Gallery, Mono Gallery and independent spaces such as Numu contribute to an expanding gallery landscape that attracts Saudi artists trained abroad and international professionals.

The European dealer visiting Riyadh discovers a rapidly changing city where cultural infrastructure develops at a sustained pace and where appetite for contemporary art is palpable. Young-generation Saudi collectors, often educated at European or American universities, possess an international artistic culture and actively seek gallery partners capable of accompanying them in building ambitious collections. This generation, raised with the internet and social media, is as connected to international trends as any New York or London collector, and their expectations regarding quality and curatorial relevance are high.

04The profile of Gulf collectors

Gulf collectors present characteristics that the European dealer must understand to adapt their approach. The first is the importance of personal relationship. In Gulf cultures, the commercial transaction is inseparable from the human relationship that precedes it. A Saudi or Emirati collector does not buy a work from a dealer they do not know: they buy from someone with whom they have shared a meal, exchanged ideas, built a relationship of trust. The dealer hoping to sell remotely, by email or through an intermediary, will encounter a cultural wall that only physical presence and time can overcome.

The second characteristic is a taste for quality and discretion. Gulf collectors, often from families that have been wealthy for several generations, do not display their collection as a sign of social status but conceive it as a transmissible family patrimony. They favour works whose quality is recognised by institutions and whose longevity is assured, and they appreciate dealers who demonstrate restraint in communication and solidity in expertise. This culture of discretion, which contrasts with the ostentation sometimes associated with the region, is a fundamental trait that the European dealer must integrate into their commercial relationship.

The third characteristic is growing interest in artists from the Arab world and the diaspora. While Gulf collectors willingly acquire works by Western artists, they are increasingly attentive to artists from their own region and the Arab diaspora. A European dealer who represents Arab artists or programmes exhibitions in dialogue with the Middle Eastern scene will find particular resonance with this clientele. Artists such as Mona Hatoum, Etel Adnan, Shirin Neshat and Wael Shawky, whose works circulate in galleries and institutions on both sides of the Mediterranean, illustrate the type of programme that finds a natural resonance with collectors in the region.

05Building a lasting presence in the region

The European dealer wishing to establish a durable presence in the Gulf market must adopt a patient and respectful approach. The first step is to visit the region regularly, not only during fairs but also outside major events, to meet local actors, visit galleries, understand each city's dynamics. The second step is to forge partnerships with local galleries, adopting a co-representation model or occasional collaboration that respects existing structures.

The third step is to participate in the residency programmes and cultural exchanges that are multiplying in the region. The Sharjah Art Foundation, the Misk Foundation and other institutions offer artist residencies and collaboration programmes that provide European galleries with privileged access to the local scene. The dealer who sends one of their artists to a residency in Sharjah or Riyadh creates a link between their programme and the Gulf scene that enriches both parties.

Patience is a cardinal virtue in this endeavour. The Gulf market is not conquered in a single season but built over several years of presence, conversation and collaboration. The dealer who accepts this long-term investment positions themselves in a market whose growth, driven by massive public investment and the emergence of a new generation of collectors, offers prospects that amply justify this patience.

06Practical considerations

The European dealer working with the Gulf must account for specific practical considerations. Shipping logistics for works to Gulf countries require expertise in international art transport and knowledge of local customs procedures. Specialist art shippers such as Cadogan Tate, Momart and their regional counterparts possess the experience necessary to manage these shipments under conditions that guarantee the safety of the works. The legal framework for selling artworks, which differs between emirates and countries, deserves particular attention, notably regarding free zones such as the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Abu Dhabi Global Market, which offer regulatory frameworks favourable to artistic transactions.

The commercial calendar must adapt to local rhythms: the month of Ramadan, religious holidays and periods of extreme heat influence the region's cultural and commercial calendar. The dealer who masters these calendar subtleties optimises their visits and events to coincide with periods most conducive to meetings and transactions. The Gulf's cultural season extends primarily from October to April, when temperatures are bearable and cultural events follow one another, and this seasonality should guide the planning of travel and collaborations.

For Artedusa partner galleries, the Gulf market represents a significant growth opportunity. The platform offers a digital showcase accessible from Dubai, Jeddah or Riyadh, enabling regional collectors to discover European gallery programmes in a professional environment that respects the codes of discretion and quality to which they are sensitive. The complementarity between physical presence in the region and visibility on Artedusa enables the dealer to maintain a permanent link with their Gulf clientele, even between visits.