From 19 to 23 November 2025, Manarat Al Saadiyat hosted the 17th edition of Art Abu Dhabi, the largest of all time: 142 exhibitors, compared to more than 100 exhibitors last year, coming from 52 cities and 37 countries. A record edition that also marks a historic transition – the last under its current name before its transformation into Frieze Abu Dhabi in 2026. This edition entails a chapter and, at the same time, the start of a new phase for the Gulf art market, at a time when Art Basel is also preparing its debut in the region with an exhibition in Qatar scheduled for next February.
“The move to Frieze Abu Dhabi is not a change of identity, but an evolution of our capacity and integration into the global scene,” he said. Dyala Nusseibehhas led the exhibition since 2016. Reinventing oneself is nothing new: founded in 2007 as ArtParis Abu Dhabi, the following year it was taken over by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and renamed Abu Dhabi Art. “Any change of pace – emphasizes Nusseibeh – requires strategic scaling and in the last ten years – he adds – the Gulf has gone from being a speculative place on the global art map to a true center of gravity.”
Large dealers in leading positions
The power of this new attraction attracted major international dealers. A total of 53 galleries debuted this edition, flanked by some very important returns such as Pace returning to the fair for the first time since 2011, presenting iconic works such as a small edition of the acclaimed «Love» by Robert Indiana ($850,000), new sculpture by Arlene Shechet (120,000 dollars) and works by other important sculptors. “We can see the role that Abu Dhabi has achieved in the Middle East – he said Marc Glimcher, Pace CEO – the attitude here is very positive: everyone is coming because there is still an awareness of taking risks and capital doesn’t seem to scare us like it did the rest of the world ten years ago. The second reason is that they have built an incredible infrastructure here and therefore, it is time to come back and participate in these winds of change. We have no particular hopes for this exhibition, other than reopening our ties in the region; we were very surprised by the number of international collectors present: they did an excellent job.”
So what about the explosion in the number of invited galleries this year? Is this a normal level for a Frieze brand exhibition? “Next year will be different,” concluded Marc Glimcher, who meanwhile has confirmed Pace’s participation in Art Basel Qatar next February in Doha. With the increasing influx of Westerners into the region – exhibitors, galleries, collectors, visitors – director Nusseibeh underscored the need to strike a “balance” to maintain the “intimacy and coherence” that distinguishes the fair, which has been considered a boutique exhibition. For Muhammad Hafizco-founder of the ATHR gallery in Jeddah, the show has made a decisive leap: from a simple regional exhibition to one with authentic “curatorial weight”. It’s an evolution he attributes to the continued presence of institutions and museums in the region as well as curated sections highlighting West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia, “rather than following a purely Euro-American model.” This year Hafiz collaborated with the Mennour gallery in Paris to display large charcoal drawings Mohammad Al Faraj, offered for between 4,600 and 21,000 dollars, it was highly appreciated with several sales at the opening. “Expansion of the exhibition – he said Maryam Al Falasifounder of Iris Projects – seems a natural reflection of the momentum we are seeing in Abu Dhabi’s cultural ecosystem. The fair is much larger this year, but seems to have grown with purpose and collectors were actively present this week. With Frieze on the horizon and the fair strengthening its position regionally and internationally, I am optimistic and this makes the prospect of participating next year very possible.”
Affordable prices for a growing collection
Initially the fair hosted mostly blue chip galleries, along with some major regional companies. However, in recent years, a space has been created where emerging galleries can take a central role. This approach applies both at local and regional levels as well as on a global scale. In this context, the participation of galleries that have works in a more affordable price range is encouraged to dialogue with the growing collector base. In addition to the consolidation of a core of important collectors, with significant collections, there is at the same time a promising growth of young collectors, with disposable income, who are beginning to emerge as important interlocutors of the future and to whom galleries can hope to expand their market. This new dimension supports the participation of new entries such as AWL (Girona, Spain) which features Syrian artists Talin Hazbar whose artistic practice is rooted in elemental engagement with the earth and its changing formations. Sand, coral, clay and stone are not passive materials in his work, but rather unstable systems that oscillate between collapse and cohesion. The artist approaches them as changeable and adaptable bodies, carriers of immediacy and memory (price from 6 to 12 thousand euros). There will also be space for an Italian gallery that has chosen Art for the first time in Abu Dhabi and among them Galleria Anna Marra (Rome) with an all-female stand: Veronica Botticelli (4,900-8,000 euros), Khadijah Jayi (10-15,000 euros) e Turiya Magadlela (10-30,000 euros). This first experience was positive not only for sales but, most importantly, “for the extraordinary cultural liveliness of this city and this fair” commented the gallery owner. First time in Abu Dhabi for Galleria Studio G7 (Bologna) but Giulia Biafore, gallery director, has tested the area several times by participating in the Dubai exhibition which is now a consolidated event: “We are on our fourth participation and we confirm our presence for the 2026 edition; as a first experience I have to say that I am very happy with what is happening, I have already made several sales and I am surprised by the extraordinary cultural liveliness of this city and this exhibition”. The three artists present at the exhibition (Anneke Eussen, Jacopo Mazzonelli And Franco Guerzoni) all received great attention, and for each of them we have completed several sales”. The response to P420 (Bologna) has always been great, having completed sales of works from the series «Abachi» (2018) and «Arbusti» (2025) by Riccardo Baruzzi (price range 7,500–10,000 dollars) e Rodrigo Hernandez (price range 7,500–10,000), which not only attracted the interest of new collectors, but also the interest of critics and curators in attendance. Apart from that, the high level of public interest in these works is also evident Adelaide Cioni And Irma Blank.
A tribute to historic Italian art
Among the new features at this year’s exhibition, a room dedicated to the most historic Italian art. The Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi, the Italian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Mazzoleni Gallery, presented the exhibition project, “Roots of Italian Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries”, at the exhibition through the works of seven artists: Agostino Bonalumi, Enrico Castellani, Giorgio de Chirico, Lucio Fontana, Giorgio Morandi, Michelangelo Pistoletto And Keep.“This exhibition aims to honor the complexity and richness of Italian art, in an international context such as in Abu Dhabi – he said Susanna Iacona-Salafia, director of the Italian Cultural Institute, – to create a cultural bridge between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, between the Mediterranean and the Gulf, between tradition and contemporary”.
The choice to focus on artists already established at an international level – figures who continue to move the market, especially at auction – also responds to specific objectives. As director Susanna Iacona-Salafia explains, many of these works have rarely been exhibited in the United Arab Emirates, and showing them again means filling a gap in the local panorama. In addition to presenting the voices of the great masters of the 20th and 21st centuries, Mazzoleni also presents contemporary experiments in his works. Marinella Senatore, Andrea Francolino And Davide Raymondo.
