“Middle Eastern collectors are interested in various kinds of art. Still, some key areas are trendy right now”, says Elen Levitt, expert in art investments and founder of ArtLevel:

🔹 Contemporary Middle Eastern Art: local collectors value and support artists who represent the culture and heritage of the Middle East (Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).

🔹 Islamic art: includes calligraphy, ceramics, miniature painting, carpets, and other traditional art forms associated with the Islamic world.

🔹 Western contemporary art: many collectors in the Middle East are also interested in works by well-known Western artists, especially those of postmodern and modern movements.

🔹 Contemporary African art: given the proximity, including in cultural values, of the Middle East to Africa, this type of art is also attracting the attention of collectors.

🔹 Digital Art and NFT: Contemporary collectors, especially the younger generation, are interested in digital art forms, including NFT.

Natalya Andakulova, founder of Andakulova Gallery, agrees that art buyers from the Middle East are highly interested in digital art. Among their other top interests are abstract art and mixed-media art (with textiles, glass, and metal).

It differs greatly based on an artist’s fame, the piece’s cultural influence, and the painting’s age. Not all big ticket sales are works from previous centuries. For example, El Anatsui’s sculpture “The Bend in the River” was created in 2022 and sold for $600K at the exhibition Art Dubai 2024. Other large sales at that event were a piece by Mandy El-Sayegh ($60K) and a sculpture by Shaikha Al Mazrou ($50K).

Every segment of art has its audience.

Artworks from this price range that are not older than 60 years can be transported out of the UAE with no great difficulty.

Marina Vinogradova, art historian and curator at NIKA Project Space Gallery, says the Middle Eastern region is able to buy million-dollar works and build museums for them.

“The problem is no more acute here than in other countries,” says Ms Vinogradova. Nevertheless, it’s possible to find fakes for antiques and modernism on the market. “But I would say that since the art market in the UAE is very young, it is not profitable to sell fakes here,” explaines the expert.

“Moreover, the UAE has strict laws and regulations that are aimed at fighting counterfeiting,” says Mr Levitt. Also, Emirates cooperates with international organizations and brands in order to address the issue: there are joint operations with brands to identify and destroy counterfeit products.

Mr Levitt notes that some Middle Eastern countries have strict cultural and religious norms that affect the content and style of art.

“The difficulties in exposing can be themes of nudity, but in general, the market is very welcoming to artists all over the world with a variety of themes and mediums, as long as the art is good and in line with our time,” explains fashion artist Alena Lavdovskaya.

“While infrastructure for the arts is being actively developed in major cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it may be less developed elsewhere,” said Levitt. Artists still need more spaces to present their work like galleries, art fairs and other outlets.