Abu Dhabi Art, the exclusive contemporary art fair that took place on Saadiyat Island over the week of November 7th through 10th, was by all accounts an unmissable art event and another important step in the artistic and cultural growth of the Gulf Region.

The fourth edition of the fair brought 50 of the world’s top galleries to the idyllic setting on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island — and following them came a record number of international collectors, museum directors, artists, and art-lovers from around the world.

Rashid Khalifa in Leila Heller’s booth at Abu Dhabi Art 2012, beside his paintings:
from left, “I See It White” and “Fabric of Society

The fair was also a special occasion for Bahrain, as resident artist and art patron, Rashid Khalifa, was exhibited by the renowned Leila Heller Gallery of New York.  Shown in the Heller Gallery booth, with  Ayad Alkhadi, Reza Derekshani, Mitra Tabrizian, as well as  drawings by Jackson Pollock and paintings by Pollock’s wife, Lee Krasner, Khalifa’s large drip paintings enamel paintings on convex lacquer: Fabric of Society (2011) and I See It White (2011), brought rave reviews from critics and collectors alike –  and continued to increase the well-deserved recognition the Bahraini artist has been steadily gaining from members of the international contemporary art community.

Bahrain’s Rashid Khalifa (left) and NY dealer Leila Heller (right) at Abu Dhabi Art 2012.

Noteworthy events in the fair included a panel discussion titled Architecture Visionaries, that featured the world’s top three architects – Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel and Lord Norman Foster – discussing the Saadiyat Cultural District museums – Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum – to a packed standing-room- only audience of approximately 1,000 people.

In addition to the buzz created by luminary attendees, sales were strong across the board, as evidenced by the sale of two important works by Farhad Moshiri - Woman on the Verge and Pill, exhibited by the ultra-chic Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery from Paris.

Rashid Khalifa enjoys the Abu Dhabi Art Fair with artist, Marina Abramovich and her London dealer, Nicholas Logsdail of Lisson Gallery.

Demand was additionally strong for both cutting-edge, and more established artists demonstrated by sales of works such as Subodh Gupta’s Cascading Water at Hauser & Wirth Gallery in addition to the sale of Anish Kapoor’s Untitled 2012 and Marina Abramovic’s REST ENERGY, both at the Lisson Gallery, London booth, known for its exemplary stable of artists, and run by the charming and learned, Nicholas Logsdail.