This Dubai Shopping Festival will not only be about bargains and entertainment. Art, with a capital A, will play a major role.
The works of 70 masters, worth more than $300 million (Dh1.1 billion), will be on show at the Dubai World Trade Centre (hall no 2) from January 4 to 14.
The Masters - An Art Exhibition is being held under the patronage of Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Shaikha Manal is the President of Dubai Ladies Club and an artist herself. It is being sponsored by Emirates, a key DSF sponsor.
Here you can see the works of Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, Eugene, Boudin, Ganisborough,
Picabia, Kline, Lebasque, Schreyer, Van de Velde, Bouguereau, Brueghel the younger, Kisiling, Bonheur,
Mackenzie, Redon, Hobbema, Richards, Van Ostade, Stubbs, Michele, Marieschi, Guardi, Edwin Lord Weeks,
William Trost Richards, Picasso, Rodin, Remington, Gerome, Preiss, Millet and Pietro Calvi.
Also on show will be a rare copy of the Holy Quran and Tiffany windows.
Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad said: "We draw many facets of our society from the creativity of both our forefathers and our contemporary artists - our architecture and our entertainment."
"Art is critical to the development of culture. The intent of The Masters Exhibition is to foster individual and collective efforts to promote and expand art appreciation throughout our country and continue the tradition of being the pace setter in the contemporary world."
"The Masters Exhibition is a rare opportunity for all art connoisseurs and enthusiasts. This exhibition brings together for the first time a selection of works from museums, galleries and private collections from across the world."
"It is with the greatest pleasure that I, as patron, welcome this initiative to host The Masters Exhibition in Dubai," she added.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group, said: "We are pleased to support this exhibition which will bring to Dubai the works of famous artists from all over the world. We can see a nice mix of East and West here in Dubai which is the right place to have an exhibition of this calibre."
"We trust that this event will be welcomed by everyone whether they are residents or visitors."
Many of the exhibits are also on sale, highlighting art as an investment opportunity.
Each piece has been run through strict authentication tests and comes with a provenance, a universally recognised label that allows the painting's legacy to be traced.
Further, curators and art specialists will be on hand to give first-hand information on the paintings.
