Bonhams, the international fine art auction house, is to open a sales office in Dubai with a first auction sale scheduled for early November 2007.

Bonhams Dubai will be a joint venture with the Al Tajir family. His Excellency, Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir, was the former United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Great Britain and Western Europe and is currently an advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates. He is a prominent collector across a wide variety of the arts.

HE Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir commenting on the arrival of Bonhams in Dubai says: “I am delighted with this new partnership with Bonhams whom I have known and respected for many years as a source of superb works of art and antiques internationally. Their arrival in Dubai will significantly enlarge and enrich the fast growing cultural presence we in the United Arab Emirates are so keen to see as an intrinsic part of our development. Bonhams new office in Dubai will bring with it many fascinating and exciting cultural opportunities.”

The move marks the coming together of two prominent forces in the art world. Bonhams, established in London in 1793, and the Al Tajir family, recognised as one of the longest-established and most prominent collectors of fine art in the Arab world. It is also a further significant step in Bonhams ongoing global expansion.

Bonhams will host its first auction in Dubai in November this year. The sale will include Islamic Works of Art, Contemporary Indian, Arab and Iranian Art, as well as fine Jewellery and Watches.

Matthew Girling, Bonhams European Chairman, who is spearheading this new venture, says: “Opening an office in Dubai marks the crossing of another art market frontier in Bonhams global development. It is part of a strategic decision to increase our international presence in this dynamic part of the world. Dubai is an incredibly exciting environment to be doing business in at the moment and we see it as an essential ingredient of the art market in the long-term future. We are honoured to have the opportunity of entering this joint venture with the Al Tajir family, whom we have known and worked with over many years.”

“Part of the new reality of the global art market has been the dramatic emergence in the last decade of new buyers for Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Indian Art. Until recently these buyers have been mostly drawn to more traditional national art. However, the new generation of collectors, dealers and artists are increasingly influenced by broader trends from both the traditional and contemporary art world.”

Specialists in Islamic Art, as well as Jewellery and Watches, will initially staff Bonhams Dubai. The office will also be used for hosting temporary exhibitions and previews of major works of art being sold in our overseas auction centres.

Bonhams has a long and distinguished record of holding fine sales of Indian and Islamic Art at the company’s Headquarters, 101 New Bond Street in London.

Posted: 04|20|07 at 3:56 pm. Filed under: Press Release.