It has been a decade since Christie's established itself in the region, helping bring the world's attention to Middle Eastern art. And while Dubai, where Christie's is based, has arguably replaced Beirut as the hub of the Arab arts world, the art scene in Lebanon remains light years ahead of its Gulf rival, with a mature community of artists ripe for invitation to global art fairs, festivals, residencies and group shows.
The Beirut Art Fair, Lebanon's leading platform for the discovery of new artists, trends, galleries, institutions and publications, has been encouraging critical conversation within the country and across the wider MENA region and Southern Asia for seven years now. The latest edition, which ran from the 15th to the 18th of September, was its most ambitious yet.
Among the highlights was 'Revealing' by SGBL, a section showcasing a fresh breed of up-and-coming artists, alongside 'Modern Lebanon!', which paid tribute to pioneering female Lebanese artists working between 1945 and 1975. Those fresh ideas already have us looking forward to next year's edition.
