Qatar emerges as an international hub for art auctions

Art investors, collectors, and founders of auction houses and art galleries in Qatar have affirmed Doha's distinguished role as a hub for auctions for precious collectibles, in parallel with its role as a global capital for major cultural, sports and economic conferences and events.They described how that role serves the country's cultural renaissance, as well as Doha's ability to attract international auctions and art collectors from the region. They also stressed that artwork was a solid investment thanks to its ability to maintain its value regardless of the economic climate.

Tariq al-Jaidah

Tariq al-Jaidah, founder of Katara Art Center and Eiwan Al Gassar Gallery, said Doha is one of the world's most important capitals in terms of hosting regional and international events. He highlighted hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as the biggest evidence of that. He stressed that arts and culture in the country are part of that wider movement in the state, which led to the establishment of a strong cultural base and growing momentum in the local art scene. He said that all these factors combined attracted international auction houses and galleries to take part in that growing movement. He added that all these factors contributed to attracting to Doha a large number of artists and creators from different countries of the world, to be part of this accumulated cultural and artistic movement. He highlighted that this culminated in the Katara Art Center hosting some of Sotheby's auctions in 2014 and 2015.

Abdulsalam Abou Eissa

Abdulsalam Abou Eissa, who is an art investor and founder of AlBahie Auction House, said that Doha was a big hub for the Arab and international art market thanks to the many events and activities the city hosts. He added that AlBahie Auction House plays a role in raising awareness about modern and Islamic art. The founder and owner of Anima Gallery Ghada al-Sholy, confirmed in an exclusive statement the vitality of the art market in Doha, and how it is keeping up with global developments in economy and technology. Al-Sholy added that Anima Gallery is keen on enriching this experience through programmes, exhibitions and projects, as well as meeting the aspirations of art collectors in Qatar, to get in touch with art icons from around the world and acquire their work, in addition to promoting its own collection with major works of fine art artists and visual arts creators.

Ghada al-Sholy

Al-Sholy explained that sectors in the field of investment and the economy were negatively impacted by the repercussions of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which led to an economic stagnation. However, investment in arts was able to overcome that with artworks preserving their material value, and remaining a successful investment, due to the revival of art markets on the Internet, which satisfied health and safety requirements whilst keeping the interaction and investment between collectors and artists running. For that reason Anima Gallery like other art galleries had to adapt and extend their scope through holding virtual and distance programmes and events on their website. This included the artistic and cultural programme "Stone Craftsmanship" which was broadcasted weekly during the Covid-19 pandemic.Al-Sholy said Anima Gallery succeeded in getting in touch with senior artists from around the world, and building bridges of communication with them via social media platforms, giving those interested in fine and visual arts the opportunity to follow and listen to the experiences of artists with social distancing and quarantine. In addition it enabled those interested in staying up to date with artists latest ideas, projects, and works. It also managed to gain collectors' confidence in investing in art, after the success of artwork acquisition over the Internet.As for Anima Gallery's cultural vision, it has contributed to society by being keen on using environmental friendly, recyclable and reusable materials in the art it presents, as well as the projects that it implements in cooperation with other institutions in the country, such as: QatarEnergy and Qatar Airways. Similarly, the gallery also hosts artists experimenting with environmental friendly materials, such as palm leaf and tree leaves. This includes Qatari artist Yousef Ahmad and Lebanese artist Charbel Samuel Aoun.Concluding her statement, Ghada al-Sholy stressed that the main message of all of the exhibitions her gallery holds is inspired by Qatar's vision for the environment, culture and a knowledge-based society, stemming from Anima Gallery's belief in the humanity of art and its social and cultural contents.