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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for magpie
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TZID:Asia/Dubai
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TZOFFSETFROM:+0400
TZOFFSETTO:+0400
TZNAME:+04
DTSTART:20240101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261017
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTSTAMP:20260918T112552Z
CREATED:20260918T112552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260918T112552Z
UID:10014192-1792195200-1792281599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Alfred Basbous: Sculpting the Line
DESCRIPTION:A selection of work by a pioneering figure of modern sculpture in Lebanon\, presented in collaboration with the Alfred Basbous Foundation. \nBasbous worked across stone\, marble\, wood and bronze\, responding closely to the particular qualities of each material rather than imposing a single form upon it. The human figure was central to Basbous’s practice\, over time becoming increasingly simplified and abstracted in his work. Bodies were transformed into rounded volumes\, openings\, curves and flowing silhouettes\, allowing solid material to acquire an unexpected sense of movement and lightness. \nThis is one of three concurrent BFAF exhibitions under the title From a Shared Ground\, an homage to Lebanon that explores how artists across generations have drawn upon experiences of homeland\, displacement\, memory and belonging. \nTo 17 January. \nRight: Alfred Basbous\, Caring(1982) \n 
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/alfred-basbous-sculpting-the-line/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Exhibition,Sculpture
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://magpie.ae/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Alfred-Basbous_Caring-.png
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261017
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTSTAMP:20260925T071426Z
CREATED:20260918T111805Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T071426Z
UID:10014190-1792195200-1792281599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Roots Before Petals
DESCRIPTION:An exhibition that brings contemporary UAE-based artist Lana Khayat into dialogue with Lebanese modernists Etel Adnan and Helen Khal\, linking distinct practices across generations of Lebanese artists. Says the gallery: “Their work differs in scale and sensibility\, yet each built an abstract visual language from the natural motif and shared engagement with the memory of homeland”. \nThis is one of three concurrent BFAF exhibitions under the title From a Shared Ground\, an homage to Lebanon that explores how artists across generations have drawn upon experiences of homeland\, displacement\, memory and belonging. \nTo 17 January. \nRight: Lana Khayat\, Fifth from Left \n 
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/roots-before-petals/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261017
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTSTAMP:20260925T070959Z
CREATED:20260918T110845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T070959Z
UID:10014188-1792195200-1792281599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:100 Years of Paul Guiragossian
DESCRIPTION:A landmark retrospective for one of the key modernist painters to emerge from the Levant in the twentieth century. Alongside significant works drawn primarily from the artist’s estate\, many travelling outside Lebanon for the very first time\, the exhibition – the first significant retrospective for Guiragossian since 2013 – includes archival photographs\, personal documents\, and other rarely seen materials that provide an intimate portrait of the artist. \nStructured as a chronological journey\, the exhibition traces Guiragossian’s artistic evolution from his early years in an Armenian family shaped by displacement and migration\, including the 1948 relocation from Jaffa to Lebanon\, through to global recognition. The exhibition also highlights the central role of three women in his life: his mother Rahel\, his wife Juliette\, and his daughter Manuella. \nThe exhibition has been developed in collaboration with the Paul Guiragossian Foundation and co-curated by Manuella Guiragossian with BFAF head curator and director of exhibitions Dr Michaela Watrelot. It’s the keystone of From a Shared Ground\, an homage to Lebanon through three concurrent exhibitions that explore how artists across generations have drawn upon experiences of homeland\, displacement\, memory and belonging. \nTo 17 January. \nRight: Paul Guiragossian\, Self-portrait (1948) \n 
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/100-years-of-paul-guiragossian/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260618T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260618T123000
DTSTAMP:20260616T100406Z
CREATED:20260616T100406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260616T100406Z
UID:10013897-1781780400-1781785800@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art: A Story with an Open End – Contemporary Art
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation’s monthly lecture series\, led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions\, continues with an exploration of the diversity of artistic practices that have shaped art since 1970\, reflecting a period in which artists continued to challenge traditional boundaries of form and meaning. The lecture will trace key movements and ideas that redefined the role of the artist and the artwork\, from Minimalism to Conceptual and Performance Art via Donald Judd\,  Jean-Michel Basquiat\, Cy Twombly\, Jeff Koons\, Damien Hirst\, Banksy\, and other artists who continue to shape contemporary visual culture today. \nAbove; Jean-Michel Basquiat\, New York\, New York (1981)
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-a-story-with-an-open-end-contemporary-art/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260531
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTSTAMP:20260203T120257Z
CREATED:20260203T120257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T120257Z
UID:10013385-1780185600-1780271999@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:CLOSING TODAY Reflections: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Villain Collection
DESCRIPTION:Modern and contemporary works from Syria\, Lebanon\, North Africa\, and the UAE selected from the private collection of Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain – a pair of collectors for whom the acquisition of works has been a way of engaging with artists and the places they call home. As the Foundation puts it\, “their collection brings together works that speak to personal histories and cultural exchange … while inviting you to experience the region through their eyes”.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-reflections-modern-and-contemporary-art-from-the-villain-collection/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260531
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260601
DTSTAMP:20251012T135215Z
CREATED:20251012T135021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251012T135215Z
UID:10012903-1780185600-1780271999@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:CLOSING TODAY Constructing the Orient: Fragments of a Western Dream
DESCRIPTION:Drawn from the private collection of Bassam Said Freiha plus key loans from the Ary Jan Gallery\, this exhibition of Orientalist works  unfolds across five thematic sections\, each focusing on a central motif within Orientalist visual language and examining how artists shaped their subjects into recurring archetypes. From imagined interiors and bustling marketplaces to archetypes of men and women\, the works on view invite audiences to reflect on how the ‘Orient’ was constructed through Western eyes and how these images continue to shape perceptions today.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-constructing-the-orient-fragments-of-a-western-dream/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260421T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260421T123000
DTSTAMP:20260421T110800Z
CREATED:20260417T113009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260421T110800Z
UID:10013638-1776769200-1776774600@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Behind the Scenes of Museums: From Conservation to Communication
DESCRIPTION:A lecture by Elsie El Deek Bou Jaoude\, art historian and Director of the USEK Archaeological Museum\, that promises “a rare glimpse into the unseen work of museums\, exploring how conservation\, research\, and collaboration shape collections beyond what is visible to the public”. It draws on case studies from the USEK Museum\, which is something of a hidden gem in Jounieh\, Lebanon\, that showcases the country’s rich heritage.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/behind-the-scenes-of-museums-from-conservation-to-communication/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Museums,Talk
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260321T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260321T123000
DTSTAMP:20260514T103606Z
CREATED:20260514T103606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260514T103606Z
UID:10013771-1774090800-1774096200@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art: What Is Art Anyway? Abstract Expressionism & Pop Art
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation’s monthly lecture series\, led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions\, continues with that moment in the twentieth century when artists began to radically challenge traditional ideas of art\, authorship\, and meaning. In the aftermath of World War II\, some artists turned inward\, using movement and emotion to create deeply personal works; others embraced mass media and consumer culture as subjects for art itself. Through the works of Jackson Pollock\, Mark Rothko\, Andy Warhol\, Roy Lichtenstein and other influential figures\, the lecture will examine how Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art transformed the relationship between art and everyday life.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-what-is-art-anyway-abstract-expressionism-pop-art/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260305T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260305T123000
DTSTAMP:20260226T110302Z
CREATED:20260226T110302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260226T110302Z
UID:10013493-1772708400-1772713800@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art: On the Path to Modern Art – Post-Impressionism
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation’s monthly lecture series\, led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions\, continues with a search for deeper structure\, symbolism\, and emotional intensity that laid the foundations for modern art. The focus is on the works of Cézanne\, van Gogh\, Gauguin\, and Seurat\, and the lecture will examine how colour\, form\, and composition were reimagined.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-on-the-path-to-modern-art-post-impressionism/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260219T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260219T123000
DTSTAMP:20260216T164815Z
CREATED:20260216T164815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260216T164815Z
UID:10013436-1771498800-1771504200@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art: Impressionism – The Power of Light
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This time the focus is on one of the most transformative movements in modern art\, using works of Monet\, Renoir\, Degas\, and Pissarro to show how artists experimented with new techniques to convey atmosphere and movement in a decisive break from academic tradition. \n 
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-impressionism-the-power-of-light/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260213
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260214
DTSTAMP:20260203T120448Z
CREATED:20260203T120127Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T120448Z
UID:10013384-1770940800-1771027199@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Reflections: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Villain Collection
DESCRIPTION:Modern and contemporary works from Syria\, Lebanon\, North Africa\, and the UAE selected from the impressive private collection of Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain – a pair of collectors for whom the acquisition of works has been a way of engaging with artists and the places they call home. As the Foundation puts it\, “their collection brings together works that speak to personal histories and cultural exchange … while inviting you to experience the region through their eyes”. \nTo 31 May. \nRight: Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim\, Pinky Boulevard (2020)
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/reflections-modern-and-contemporary-art-from-the-villain-collection/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260213
DTSTAMP:20260209T090548Z
CREATED:20260209T090548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T090548Z
UID:10013411-1770854400-1770940799@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Émilie Dubois: Home Is Not a Place
DESCRIPTION:Inspired by the experience of living and working alongside people from across the globe in the UAE\, this exhibition by the UAE-based Guatemalan artist on a theme that will resonate with many expats – where actually is ‘home’?  It features a central interactive living room installation plus high-colour mixed media works. \nThere’s a private artist-led preview at 2-4pm on 13 February which “transitions into a coffee experience accompanied by a DJ set\, creating a relaxed and social atmosphere to experience the exhibition”. RSVP here.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/emilie-dubois-home-is-not-a-place/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260126
DTSTAMP:20251113T092623Z
CREATED:20251113T092031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251113T092623Z
UID:10013063-1769299200-1769385599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:CLOSING TODAY Al Burda Exhibition: The Shape of Meaning
DESCRIPTION:In response to the Nja Mahdaoui retrospective in the main gallery at BFAF\, this exhibition presents loans from the Ministry of Culture’s Al Burda exhibitions from 2008 to 2023. Al Burda was/is an annual exhibition where contemporary artists engage with the cultural and semantic power of the written word while experimenting with form and medium; this exhibition provides a dialogue between calligraphy as abstract form and as linguistic tradition\, showing how artists today both inherit and reinvent tradition.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-al-burda-exhibition-the-shape-of-meaning/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260126
DTSTAMP:20251012T133740Z
CREATED:20251012T133740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251012T133740Z
UID:10012901-1769299200-1769385599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:CLOSING TODAY Nja Mahdaoui: the Choreographer of Letters
DESCRIPTION:This focused retrospective surveys over six decades of practice by the Tunisian multimedia artist Nja Mahdaoui\, an influential figures in Arab modern art who repurposed Arabic calligraphy into a visual and abstract contemporary art form. This show\, o-curated by Michaela Watrelot\, head curator and director of exhibitions at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, and the artist’s daughter Molka Mahdaoui\, bridges tradition and modernity to signify notions of identity and heritage.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-nja-mahdaoui-the-choreographer-of-letters/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260115T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260115T123000
DTSTAMP:20260108T135800Z
CREATED:20260108T135344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260108T135800Z
UID:10013220-1768474800-1768480200@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art: The Age of Reason and Revolution – From Academic to Realism
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This time it explores a pivotal moment in art history shaped by political upheaval\, intellectual transformation\, and shifting social ideals in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Featuring the works of Delacroix\, David\, Goya\, and Turner\, the lecture traces the transition from academic tradition to expressive\, emotionally charged\, and socially engaged forms of painting. \n 
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-the-age-of-reason-and-revolution-from-academic-to-realism/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260110T150000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260110T170000
DTSTAMP:20260107T110508Z
CREATED:20260107T110508Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T110508Z
UID:10013212-1768057200-1768064400@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Calligraphy Workshop
DESCRIPTION:A hands-on introduction for beginners and curious learners: the workshop introduces traditional scaling and measurement techniques\, offering a clear and accessible entry point into the art of calligraphy. Participants will explore the fundamentals of Arabic calligraphy\, learning basic strokes\, proportions\, and letter construction in the Thuluth script.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/calligraphy-workshop/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Calligraphy,Workshop
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20251211T110000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20251211T123000
DTSTAMP:20251204T104840Z
CREATED:20251204T104840Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251204T104840Z
UID:10013127-1765450800-1765456200@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:The Story of Art Lecture: It’s All in the Details – the Dutch Golden Age
DESCRIPTION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot\, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This it’s the artistic flourishing of 17th-century Netherlands\, where prosperity and everyday life found new visual meaning – think Rembrandt’s introspective self-portraits and Vermeer’s serene domestic interiors. Still lifes\, genre scenes\, and cityscapes reveal a society reshaping the purpose of art\, offering a deeper understanding of how beauty emerged from observation\, detail\, and the rhythms of daily life.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/the-story-of-art-lecture-its-all-in-the-details-the-dutch-golden-age/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Lecture
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251119
DTSTAMP:20251118T175507Z
CREATED:20251113T091905Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T175507Z
UID:10013062-1763424000-1763510399@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Al Burda Exhibition: The Shape of Meaning
DESCRIPTION:As a complement to the Nja Mahdaoui retrospective in the main gallery at BFAF\, this exhibition presents loans from the Ministry of Culture’s Al Burda exhibitions from 2008 to 2023. Al Burda was an annual exhibition where contemporary artists engaged with the cultural and semantic power of the written word while experimenting with form and medium; this exhibition provides a dialogue between calligraphy as abstract form and as linguistic tradition\, showing how artists today both inherit and reinvent tradition and highlighting how they can be both custodians and innovators \nThe exhibition is accompanied by a programme of calligraphy workshops and educational events highlighting the history of Arabic script. \nTo 25 January. \nRight: Taj AlSer Hassan (2016)
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/al-burda-exhibition-the-shape-of-meaning/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Calligraphy,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251026
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251027
DTSTAMP:20250930T125117Z
CREATED:20250930T125117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T125117Z
UID:10012784-1761436800-1761523199@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:CLOSING TODAY Nat Bowen: Chromology
DESCRIPTION:Known for works of glossy\, abstract resin poured on to acrylic\, Bowen creates luminous\, aqueous fields that transform colour into a language of emotion and presence. With this show\, says the gallery\, “viewers are invited into an intimate space of reflection\, where colour is not simply observed but experienced as a catalyst for calm and psychological resonance”.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-nat-bowen-chromology/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251024
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251025
DTSTAMP:20251012T134935Z
CREATED:20251012T134935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251012T134935Z
UID:10012902-1761264000-1761350399@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Constructing the Orient: Fragments of a Western Dream
DESCRIPTION:Drawn from the private collection of Bassam Said Freiha plus key loans from the Ary Jan Gallery\, this exhibition of Orientalist works  unfolds across five thematic sections\, each focusing on a central motif within Orientalist visual language and examining how artists shaped their subjects into recurring archetypes. From imagined interiors and bustling marketplaces to archetypes of men and women\, the works on view invite audiences to reflect on how the ‘Orient’ was constructed through Western eyes and how these images continue to shape perceptions today. \nTo 31 May. \nRight: Jean-Léon Gérôme\, The Harem Promenade (undated)
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/constructing-the-orient-fragments-of-a-western-dream/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251024
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251025
DTSTAMP:20251012T133702Z
CREATED:20251012T133702Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251012T133702Z
UID:10012900-1761264000-1761350399@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Nja Mahdaoui: the Choreographer of Letters
DESCRIPTION:This focused retrospective surveys over six decades of practice by the Tunisian multimedia artist Nja Mahdaoui\, an influential figures in Arab modern art who repurposed Arabic calligraphy into a visual and abstract contemporary art form. This show\, o-curated by Michaela Watrelot\, head curator and director of exhibitions at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, and the artist’s daughter Molka Mahdaoui\, bridges tradition and modernity to signify notions of identity and heritage. \nTo 25 January. \nRight: Nja Mahdaoui\, Untitled (from the Azimuth series\, 2012)
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/nja-mahdaoui-the-choreographer-of-letters/
LOCATION:Bassam Freiha Art Foundation\, Cultural District Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:24.5335392;54.4095952
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Cultural District Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4095952,24.5335392
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR