This week’s editorial musings from magpie’s nest
The quote: If you are like most people, then like most people, you don’t know you’re like most people Daniel Gilbert
ZNM to open this year December 2025 has been confirmed for the opening of the Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat. The PR emphasises the institution’s research brief but also highlights some star exhibits – including the world’s oldest natural pearl, 8,000 years old and found on Marawah Island; and the Blue Qur’an, dating from AD800-900 and so called because its pages are indigo-dyed sheepskin …
Beyond artists Abu Dhabi Art has named Alla Abdunabi, Salmah Almansoori, and Maktoum Marwan Al Maktoum for its Beyond Emerging Artists commissions programme. They’ll be mentored by Issam Kourbaj and will show their new work at Abu Dhabi Art this November …
Road to joy The rumble strip on nearly a kilometre of the E84 highway heading into Fujairah will play you the Ode to Joy bit of Beethoven’s Ninth, so our man just had to try it. Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, which is responsible for the installation, says you get the best performance if you can maintain a steady 100kph …
Come for the art … Seems that arts and culture are the leading reasons for visits to Qatar (28.5% of visitors said that was what they wanted), the UAE (26.6%) and Saudi Arabia (24.5%), displacing such previous attractions as beach resorts (just 9.8% in the UAE) and glitzy retail (10.9%: presumably they didn’t ask the influencers and D-list celebs who clutter up Europe’s lifestyle TV shows). The figures are in a report by PwC Middle East with travel data firm Mabrian Technologies aimed at GCC destination management companies; it advocates “a shift away from static, asset-led development” (beach resorts, malls) in favour of “dynamic, visitor-centric ecosystems that drive longer stays, deeper engagement and increased economic impact” …
… Bring your money … The EU obviously likes what the UAE is doing on financial regulation – it has voted to remove the UAE from a list of countries that pose a high risk for money laundering and terrorist financing. By a total coincidence, the UAE and the EU are in advanced discussions on a free-trade agreement …
… Fly Business This will be a shock to some – Dubai is one of the world’s more desirable cities for wealthy individuals. The Julius Baer 2025 Global Wealth & Lifestyle Report is based on an analysis of the cost of a basket of goods and services for what it calls “living well” in 25 cities around the world, thus indicating the relative cost of maintaining a high-net-worth lifestyle there. Dubai comes 7th, behind (in ascending order) Shanghai, Zurich, Monaco, HK, London, and Singapore. The greatest YoY price rise in Dubai’s basket: Champagne, up 33.6%. Greatest price fall: business class flights …
Saudi at the Pompidou? Will the five-year refurb of the Centre Pompidou feature a dedicated Saudi gallery? That’s one possibility floated by a Quotidien de l’Art story reporting a 25-year agreement between KSA and the Pompidou that involves more than €50m of Saudi money in exchange for a number of services and benefits, including reserving what’s termed a “section” of the Paris building for Saudi Arabia. The staff union says it has not agreed to “the promotion of a Kingdom” …
Now read on Dubai Culture is running a Second-Hand Book Fair alongside the Dubai Public Library Summer Camp at Al Twar Library in Deira on 14-15 August. “The fair promotes the concept of book sustainability” it says here, and we’re promised “symbolic prices” of not more than AED 10 per book …
Last chance to see Eltiqa: How to Work Together? is a powerful exhibition of 100+ artworks by the Gaza-based Eltiqa artists’ collective exploring its history, solidarity, resilience and creating art under stress. Highly recommended, but finishes on 20 July…
Past lives The Faya landscape – near Sharjah’s Mleiha Archaeological Centre, where the desert meets the Hajar mountains – has been added to the 1,250 or so properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It’s only the UAE’s second entry (along with the Al Ain sites) and it’s there because of evidence of human occupation from the Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods (210,000–6,000 years ago) that demonstrate how hunter-gatherers and pastoralists adapted to hyper-arid environments. (It’s a stunning landscape and makes a great day out …)
Four head for the Gulf Four leading art market players have launched a consultancy called New Perspectives Art Partners to target top-tier (aka deep-pocketed) collectors and institutions. Those involved are Ed Dolman, former CEO of Phillips; Brett Gorvy, co-founder of Lévy Gorvy Dayan and former international head of postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s; Hong Kong art advisory specialist Patti Wong, a former chairman of Sotheby’s Asia; Philip Hoffman, founder of The Fine Art Group and former deputy chief executive of Europe at Christie’s; and Dolman’s son Alex, a former auction specialist at Sotheby’s and Phillips who co-launched Dolman Partners with his father. Each partner will maintain their own independent practice but will also combine to “deliver highly personalized, strategic guidance across acquisitions, sales, collection management, investment, collateralization, and more”. Speaking to The Peak Magazine, Gorvy said they would operate in a similar fashion to a management consulting firm: “New Perspectives assembles to meet specific client needs to provide unbiased strategies across all available platforms to maximize the potential of their assets”. The Gulf will be a particular focus, targeting sovereign families, major art trusts and estates, and global collectors …
Useful app of the week Real-world weather – if you live in New York, you can now use the wisdom of crowds (as moderated by AI) to decide whether it’s going to be nice out today …
Something for the weekend You Were Just Selling Lemonade is a fun satire on capitalism. Make the numbers go up, but there will be consequences … Try it here.
Things we didn’t know no.94 In 2023, migrants around the world sent $626 billion back home (nearly three times larger than global foreign aid in 2023) and paid $51bn in fees to do so (average money transfer fee: 6.3%) …
Earworm of the week Throwing Muses : Summer of Love
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