the young collec- tors The fifth Canvas Young Collectors issue features 10 budding art protagonists from all over the Middle East. Hailing from Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, they share their growing collections and discuss their passion for art. 94 I’d love to dine with: Bruce Nauman. Latest acquisition: A Catching the Moon artist book by Farideh Lashai. Art is: And will always be a central focus of my everyday life. I would pay monthly instalments forever for: A work by Lucio Fontana. The work I could stare at for hours is: Anything by Rothko. Wishlist: Works by Man Ray, Babak Golkar and Antony Gormley. he sheikha Maisa Al-Qassimi W ith three hands in the art world, as an artist, curator and a col- lector, as a child, Sharjah native, HE Sheikha Maisa Al-Qassimi used to visit the city’s art school and paint. She bought her first painting when she was just 15. “I used to spend a lot of time at the Dubai International Art Centre too and I would exchange works with other artists,” says Al-Qassimi. “I was just always surrounded by art.” She most recently co-curated a show, Time and Space Matter , at Dubai’s Capital D Studio with Emirati art- ist and curator Noor Al-Suwaidi. Al-Qassimi also recently aided the development of the Ta- wasul Orphans Education Fund, a non-profit initiative, which supports orphans’ education. With a passion for photography, Al-Qassimi’s collection boasts a selection of Contemporary works by Middle Eastern artists such as Ay- man Yossri Daydban, Tammam Al-Azzam and Mahmoud Bakhshi. “I need to connect with an artwork and it has to have a relationship to where I am in my life,” she adds. “My col- lection reflects my journey and where I am in a specific time” Al-Qassimi graduated with a Bachelor’s in Photography from the Ameri- can University in Dubai (AUD) in 2000 and went on to complete a Master’s in Contem- porary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in 2011. She will soon relocate to the UAE capital to join the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s curatorial team. How did art factor in to your childhood? My earliest memory is of visiting museums with my parents when I was about six. Art was some- thing that I grew up with and I was encouraged to engage with it and understand it. Facing page: HE Sheikha Maisa Al-Qassimi sits in Zeinab Al-Hashemi’s Monolith Pillar 2013. Polystrene and cement. 300 x 150 x 150 cm with a work by Hamra Abbas. Untitled (Paper Plates) . 2008. Paper sculpture in Perspex box. 20 x 20 cm; (On the floor): Tammam Al- Azzam. Bleeding Syria . 2012. Archival print on cotton paper. 60 x 60 cm. Edition one of five. This page: (Top) Pedram Baldari. Irrexxxsible VII (2008) and (bottom) Irrexxxsible IX (2007). X-rays on light boxes. 38 x 44 cm each. How do you approach collecting? I don’t plan my acquisitions; it’s open to what moves me. I need to feel a personal and emotional connection to the pieces I buy. Also, there are certain genres that I just can’t bring myself to like, such as political art. What are your objectives as a young collector? I don’t collect for the sake of investment but at the same time, I wouldn’t buy something that is not of value. It’s not the stock market; I should be able to enjoy an artwork and want to buy it without thinking of its monetary value. Your collection leans towards photography. Is this intentional? “Every artwork that I have reminds me of a moment in time. It’s very personal.” young collectors 96 I majored in photography at AUD and no one took the genre seriously at that time because it wasn’t considered an art medium. But I stuck with it and kept creating work. Now, photo- graphic pieces are included in auctions and Middle Eastern collectors have started acquir- ing such works. Although I own pieces from dif- ferent media, I really relate to photography. Do you want your collection to expand to include other media? I don’t have a preferred medium; the one thing I don’t own is a large-scale painting because I don’t have the space for it! I would never want to put an artwork I acquire in storage. I don’t like to say I’m collecting Middle Eastern art; I’m a young collector of all types of art. As the collection grows, I can have many different subsets within the larger collection. I think it’s too early for me to collect a specific genre so I’m currently just developing my collection. I am really into Pakistani art at the moment; I am fas- cinated by it and feel that Pakistani artists see the world in a different way. What piqued your interest in Pakistani art? I guess it’s the Islamic references in the work, the miniature painting and the Islamic geomet- ric design elements. Pakistan really has some great emerging artists. What has been one of your biggest cultural accomplishments? Launching a charity auction in April! As a chairperson at the Sharjah Business Women Council, we created the non-profit programme Tawasul with the Sharjah Chamber of Com- merce and Industries, which supports or- phans in pursuing higher education. We cre- ated an auction to raise money for the fund, which saw 26 artists participate including Farhad Moshiri, Nja Mahdaoui, Hassan Haj- jaj, Ahmed Mater and Lalla Essaydi. Manag- ing the auction was extremely challenging, yet fulfilling. 97 What does your collection say about you? Every artwork that I have reminds me of a mo- ment in time. It’s very personal. For example, I have a paper plate by Hamra Abbas, which re- minds me of my Master’s abroad, but focuses on a concept and theme that is very close to home. Another example is Mahmoud Bakhshi’s Viva Dubai, Viva Abu Dhabi , which I bought as I will now be moving to Abu Dhabi to join the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi curatorial team. This artwork will serve as a memory of the over- whelming excitement I feel about this change. How does being an artist support your curatorial role? The last time I made art was in 2005; if I want to be a true artist, I must focus on that and only that. I think I can help artists by being a mentor, an ‘artist manager’ and giving them guidance thanks to my background as an artist. Are there certain artists that you’re keen on supporting? I am interested in the Middle Eastern Contem- porary art scene as well as Emirati artists such as Noor Al-Suwaidi, Maitha Demithan and even the younger emerging artists such as Zeinab Al-Hashimi and Shamma Al-Amri to name a few. I have a different relationship with these younger artists as I work closely with them. Facing page: Above: Nadine Kanso. Madonna 2013. Archival photographic prints. 50 x 50 cm. Edition one of three. Image courtesy Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Dubai. Below: HE Sheikha Maisa Al- Qassimi with a work by Gauri Gill. Shah Alam Bookstore, Kabul. 2007. Silver gelatin print. 51 x 61 cm. This page: Left: Ayman Yossri Daydban. (Detail) Ilaika Ayuha Al Arabi 2011. Mixed media on museum quality archival paper. Unique piece. 77 x 55 cm. Image courtesy Athr Gallery, Jeddah. Right: Noor Al-Suwaidi. Encounter . 2011. Acrylic on canvas. 60 x 90 cm. Image courtesy the artist. Photography by Zan Nakari unless otherwise specified. young collectors “I think I can help artists by being a mentor, an ‘artist manager’ and giving them guidance thanks to my background as an artist.” 98 c upcake fans in the Emirates were treated to a series of art-inspired desserts last March courtesy the Hey Sugar Bakeshop, owned by Raed and Dana Saqfelhait. In celebration of Art Week, the couple introduced a new line of cupcakes frosted with iconic artworks – by Picas- so, Matisse and Warhol to Abdulnasser Gharem, Farhad Moshiri, Zoulikha Bouabdellah and more. “We run a kids’ design and bakery workshop twice a week and this is where the idea came about as we saw that many had painted each other’s faces on the cupcakes,” says Raed. “We felt it was important to feature recognised artworks but also present some of the Middle East’s renowned artists.” His foray into the art world began while he completed his undergraduate degree at the American University in Cairo. During this time, he bought a painting by Egyptian artist Georges Bahgory, “which I paid for in instalments for about four months!” Dessert may be one thing the Saqfelhaits are enthusiastic about, but fur- niture, design and art are also among their many passions. Throughout the homes in which they have lived between Amman, Riyadh, Cairo and now Dubai. The couple stuck to a minimalist modern palette – a style that influenced their Dana and raed saqfelhait DANA Art is: Food for the soul. The work I could stare at for hours is: The Impressionist artworks of Monet and Manet. I would pay monthly instalments forever for: A work by Fernando Botero. RAED The artwork I will get by hook or by crook: A piece by Ayman Baalbaki. The artwork that got away was: A jar painting by Farhad Moshiri. Best art advice I ever got: Listen to those who know. art acquisitions early on, beginning with a monochromatic abstract calligraphic piece by Rana Chalabi. Though their col- lection is mainly comprised of works by Middle Eastern artists, the couple also collect artworks from countries they’ve visited including Indonesia, Greece and Nepal, among others. This tradition stems from the first trip Dana made alone to London when she was 15 to visit her aunt. “My father set a condition that I had to visit at least two cultural institutions and write a report on them,” she says. “So I went to the V&A, the Natural History Museum and a Dalí exhibition – it was all about discovering something new. Since Raed and I married, we’ve made it a rule during our travels.” Dana’s father’s rule had a long-lasting impact. How did your parents infuse an appreciation for art? Raed: Growing up, my family travelled to the USA and Europe a lot and for my parents, the most important thing was to visit museums. Of course, I used to hate it, but it’s amazing how in hindsight you understand the amount of things you learned along the way and how it has “I credit my understanding of Contemporary Middle Eastern art to living in Egypt.” Left: Dana and Raed Saqfelhait with a work by Mohamed El-Ganouby’s Umdah 2002. Mixed media on canvas. Nine pieces. 32 x 32 cm each. Below: Zaha Hadid. Flow . 2007. Polyutherine. 117 x 120 cm. young collectors helped developed your taste. I started realising this when I was 14 years-old and travelled to Cyprus with my friends – subconsciously, I was looking out for museums. Later at university, I chose to write about Picasso in an English class. I didn’t realise how much I knew about him, but this was because of everything I’d heard through the audio guided tours at museums. What art ‘highlights’ from your travels are particularly memorable? Raed: I remember seeing Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory and at the time, I didn’t get it. I thought: “Hey, I can do this!” Of course, I can’t do this! I was also so wowed by Michelangelo’s David , which Dana first took me to see. Dana: We’d seen a fantastic exhibition of works by Magritte on a trip to Lake Como; it included about 35 pieces from all his periods. I also saw Picasso and Marie-Therese, L’amour Fou at the Gagosian Gallery in London in 2011 – it was incredibly overwhelming. What was your introduction to Contemporary Middle Eastern art like? Raed: It was through the work of Egyptian artist Mohammed El-Ganouby. A friend showed me his works and recommended I buy some, and I did, though I remember thinking that they were quite expensive. Now that friend really wants them! I credit my understanding of Contemporary Middle Eastern art to living in Egypt. The country is amazingly inspiring for a lot of people and if there’s anything I regret, it’s that I didn’t buy enough art while I lived there. This page: Left: Dana Saqfelhait is flanked by works by (left) Rokni Haerizadeh. Shirin and Farhad . 2006. Watercolour on paper. 55 x 75 cm; and (right) Rana Chalabi. (Detail) Bismillah . 2003. Chinese ink on rice paper. 65 x 63 cm. Right: Farideh Lashai. (Detail). Catching the Moon . 2012. Mixed media on paper. 30 x 41 cm. Edition 33 of 50. Image courtesy ABBOOKNESS and the Estate of Farideh Lashai. Facing page: Left: Bhairaj Maharjan. Braga in Black and White . 2011. Acrylic on canvas. 135 x 102 cm. Right: Raed Saqfelhait with a work by Shawki Youssef. Dislocated Femininity 2010. Mixed media on canvas. 170 x 125 cm. Photography by Zan Nakari unless otherwise specified. young collectors 101 Your collection isn’t limited to art from the Middle East. What guides your acquisitions? Raed: Whenever we buy art, we want something with positive energy. Our taste is very diverse. It’s all about talent and beautiful things that fit within our house. We don’t buy to invest – each and every piece has a story. Dana: Some people buy trinkets as souvenirs from their trips, we buy art. If we don’t really love it, we won’t buy it. We’re in a new phase in our lives now where we’re learning and I’m sure we’ll be looking at different things. What we have now is the story of us over the past 10 years. You’ve witnessed the growth of the Dubai art scene over the last few years. How has it changed for you? Dana: Buying a work by Rokni Haerizadeh was our first experience here and it was great. But buying art was never reasonable after that – the prices here are a bit too crazy. I’m not sure if that’s a tribute to Middle Eastern art or the opposite. There’s still some amazing work out there, but in the same way that investors and buyers got greedy and pushed prices up, the artists who get into the scene right now start off with really high prices. I believe art should be accessible to more people and I think the scene was simpler and more genuine back then – we went to galleries to see art, not for the free wine! How do you buy your art today? Dana: We buy fewer pieces, but we do a lot more research and turn to our more knowledgeable friends for advice. But most importantly, it has to speak to us. We don’t put aside a budget every month to buy art; we buy as we go along, whenever we find something. We’re interested in younger artists, so whenever we travel, finding them is part of the thrill. “We’re interested in younger artists, so whenever we travel, finding them is part of the thrill.” 102 sharifa Al – sudairi Art is: What I want to be living with for the rest of my life. I would pay monthly instalments forever for: A painting by Rembrandt. My favourite works in my collection: Every parent has a favourite child, but you just don’t disclose that kind of information! An artist I think is undervalued or under- publicised: Maha Al-Malluh. The Middle Eastern art scene is: Stifled. The artwork I will get by hook or by crook: One by Robert Rauschenberg. s harifa Al-Sudairi once had her heart set on being an artist, but when that dream just didn’t feel right to her any- more, she did the next best thing: she studied art. When she left her home country to attend boarding school in Lugano, Switzerland, lit- tle did Al-Sudairi know that she would have a life-changing experience when she took her first few art history classes. “The Renaissance, that’s what intrigued me,” she says. Al-Sudairi dreams of one day buying a Vermeer or a Rem- brandt, but meanwhile, she surrounds herself with art that she feels a deep connection with, gathering within her home the memories of her experiences with artists who inspire her. Al-Sudairi obtained a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Richmond in London and then pursued a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art and a minor in Business at the Sotheby’s Institute of Contemporary Art and got involved in what she calls “the other side”. Today, at 25 years-old, this Jeddah native is the Associate Director at The Pace Gallery in London. How did you start collecting? I took my first art history classes when I moved to Lugano and the Renaissance period is what had the biggest impact on me – every painting told a story. Coming from a place like Jeddah where there was no such thing as art history, it was a revelation. At university, I was studying in the hopes of becoming an artist. But then I saw that people around me were much more “I am Saudi Arabian and I believe tremendously in supporting our art scene, which is flourishing.” Facing page: Sharifa Al-Sudairi with a work by Manal Al-Dowayan. (Detail) And We Have No Shared Dreams Diptych. 2010. Archival Gicle±e prints mounted on dibond, aluminium lettering and LED backlights. 134 x 89 cm. This page: Kamrooz Aram. Untitled (Flag #2) . 2010. Oil on canvas. 152.4 x 213.4 cm. Image courtesy the artist. young collectors talented than me, so I decided if I couldn’t be an artist, I wanted to be in this world and hover around artists, watching them create. I first bought an artwork by one of my fellow stu- dents; it’s a big painting, a portrait of a fictional character. I fell in love with it. What has the collecting process been like for you? I am fortunate to have been able to meet the art- ists whose works I have in my collection. Most of the time, I was able to spend time with the artists and see the process of how the pieces I’ve acquired have been made. I know what I like and I know the artists I like – I don’t dwell on a decision for too long. What are your thoughts on the Middle Eastern art scene? I work on the international art market and I don’t just focus on Middle Eastern art, but lately that’s what I’ve been pulled into. It wasn’t inten- tional, but I was just drawn to artists like Maha Al-Malluh, Manal Al-Dowayan, Nasser El-Salem who I’m a huge fan of, Youssef Nabil, Akram “I want to be a part of this world somehow and so I do it by buying an artwork and living with it.” young collectors 105 Zaatari, Ziad Antar, Ayman Yossri Daydban and Yto Barrada. Having lived in London for the past eight years and studied and interned at Sotheby’s, I’ve seen everything from big Con- temporary sales to some focused on regional art. I now work at Pace and we deal with some of the most incredible artists in the world such as Rothko, de Kooning and Calder – but I am Saudi Arabian and I believe tremendously in supporting our art scene, which is flourishing. I have been inviting guests to come and discover Jeddah for years, dating to my time working at Sotheby’s. Last year, I was involved in bringing the international art community to Jeddah and then more recently I was also involved with the first Jeddah Art Week, which was more catered to the local art community. We have no excuses anymore; we cannot say we are not up there. We are part of the international scene now and it’s my duty to support that. Do you think you’ve made any mistakes while building your collection? All the time! I have a problem being called a collector; I am aspiring to be a collector. I have no shame saying I’ve made many mistakes and will continue to make some; it’s part of the process. If you want to commit to this and dedicate your time and effort to it, then you’re bound to make mistakes. What have you learnt along the way? Never fall for that one thing that people fol- low. Of course there are trends, but it doesn’t mean I have to buy a piece. There is no right or wrong, you have to make up your own ver- sion of things along the way. Art shouldn’t be intimidating; I used to be so scared to even go up to an intern at a gallery and ask about a piece. Now, nothing scares me and whatever mistakes you make, you can handle. Don’t be afraid to ask! Most of the time, you’ll find people are happy and eager to answer questions and build connections. What draws you to an artwork? It’s the connection with artists. I want to take a memory away from an experience I’ve shared with them and keep it in my home. If I can’t be- come an artist myself, I want to be a part of this world somehow and so I do it by buying an artwork and living with it. I feel like I’m with them all the time. What do you plan to do with your collection? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I don’t have plans for the near future. Every collector hopes they can one day share their passion and what they’ve built over the years. I see all of this as a learning experience for me, but I still don’t know where it will take me. Perhaps one day I will donate it to a museum or build a foun- dation that could house them properly. I don’t want to give myself a specific end point – it’s all about the experience. Facing page: Above: Tadashi Kawamata. Nest Plan 6 . 2011. Wood and glue. 60 x 45 x 15 cm. Image courtesy the artist. Below: Sharifa Al-Sudairi with a work by Rob Sherwood. (Detail) Hopscotch . 2011. Oil on canvas. 190 x 170 cm. This page: George Condo. (Detail) Head of Butler . 2011. Pencil on paper. 57 x 79 cm. © George Condo. Image Courtesy Spruth Magers, Berlin/London. Photography by David Levenson unless otherwise specified. 106 n ew to the growing Dubai art scene, Ranya and Talal Ghandour have quickly developed a knack for Conceptual art. Talal, an engineering and finance graduate from Kings College in London, admits that he was a late bloomer when it came to art and that the real brains behind their collec- tion is his wife. “It’s all Ranya,” he says. “When we were dating, I had to quickly educate myself because art was such a huge part of her life, and the more I learned about it, the more I became fascinated by it. It was also the quickest way to her heart!” Ranya, who has worked at Christie’s and Ruth|Catone – a New York-based art advisory firm – for the past five years, is a graduate of Columbia University with a BA in Art History and an MA in Modern Art and Curatorial Studies. The newlyweds began their collection only a year ago by acquiring pieces by Tala Madani and Mounira Al-Solh at the sixth Art Dubai edition, as it provided Talal with an easy and accessible introduction to the international art scene. ranya and talal ghandour TAlAl I would pay monthly instalments forever for: Open Field by James Turrell. An artist I think is undervalued or under- publicised: Annabel Daou. I know I should like but I just can’t: Anything by Andy Warhol. RANYA An artist I think is undervalued or under- publicised: Lutz Bacher. The first thing I do when I buy a new piece is: Set up a Google alert for that artist. The artwork that got away was: A work on paper by Monir Farmanfarmaian. “I used to collect vintage movie posters, which, unsurprisingly, Ranya wasn’t too fond of!” Facing page: Ranya and Talal Ghandour with works by (left) Tala Madani. Four Empty Cells . 2012. Oil on canvas. 91.4 x 50 cm; and (right) Ramin Haerizadeh. Hijab is Our Business . 2011. Collage on canvas. 70 x 50 cm. This page: Yto Barrada. (Detail) Papier Plies . 2007. C-print. 20 panel pieces. 40 x 30 cm each. Edition of five plus two artist’s proofs. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg. Did either of you collect art before you were married? Talal: I used to collect vintage movie posters, which, unsurprisingly, Ranya wasn’t too fond of! However, the first art piece I bought was by Youssef Ahmad in 2010 before we were married. Ranya: I actually never collected before Talal and I got married. Working at Ruth|Catone, I was a bit of a purist and I was happy living with the things I loved vicariously and from afar. I wasn’t really ready for collecting at that stage in my life. When and where did you buy your first artwork together? Ranya: We bought a few works during last year’s Art Dubai – even though an art fair is not necessarily the ideal place for a new collector to start, given that it offers only a rather cursory point of entry into an artist’s greater career. With Talal’s busy schedule, this was an undeniably convenient way to introduce him to a range of works from galleries and artists from all over the world in one quick, concentrated dose. Did you aim to start your collection under a certain theme? Ranya: I’m interested in various stylistic and conceptual artistic practices, but there was one tiny, very particular thematic related to the psyche of the Middle Eastern man that seemed to keep resonating with Talal, so we used that as our jumping-off point. Our collection is really newlywed itself (just a year old) and we are still very much in the process of determining our areas of common ground as we develop and define its curatorial framework. This year at Art Dubai, we bought a photographic work by Shahzia Sikander and a 20-panel piece by Yto Barrada, which clearly represent a move towards a different set of interests. How do you decide on acquisitions? Ranya: It’s imperative to ask whether within that artist’s greater body of work, is this the series that speaks to us the most and can this particular piece be considered amongst the strongest examples of his or her work? Given my experience both in art advisory and at young collectors Christie’s, I am fortunate to be able to quite quickly and comfortably discern an advantageous moment for an acquisition according to how confident I am about the work. The most important thing to consider is how well the work fits within our personal sensibilities and long-term collecting ambitions. Talal: We do sometimes argue over a certain piece or a specific artist, so before buying anything, we must come to a mutual agreement. I believe an acquisition has to be driven by both passion and the understanding of the underlying piece. When Ranya has high conviction and she really loves something, she pushes for it and this in turn forces me to take a serious look – that was the case with our Walid Raad piece. What was the process of acquiring the Raad like for you? Talal: While the image itself admittedly left me a little cold at first, it has served as an important lesson in how sometimes the most challenging work can be the most rewarding in the end. One must keep an open mind and read, learn and listen as much as possible. Ranya wrote a great deal about Raad’s work in her graduate thesis, so needless to say she threw plenty of material at me that I could chew on This page: Ranya and Talal Ghandour with a work by Walid Raad. (Detail) Preface to the Second Edition . 2012. Archival ink jet print. 200 x 150 cm. Edition seven of 21. Facing page: Above: Mounira Al-Solh. (Detail) Bassam Ramlawi Paintings, Blacksmith . 2010. Acrylic and collage on canvas. 30 x 40 cm. Image courtesy Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut/Hamburg. Below: John Divola. (Detail) Zuma #12 1977. Archival pigment print on rag paper. 61 x 76.2 cm. Edition two of 10. Image courtesy the artist and Laura Bartlett Gallery, London. Photography by Zan Nakari unless otherwise specified. young collectors 109 until I began to slowly understand the complex conceptual ground that he is treading on and why it is so poignant. How do you see your collection expanding? Ranya: Our collection is very new and I’m sure that with time we will develop themes within our collection in terms of several different curatorial pockets that will hopefully still sing together. Even from only a year ago, our collection has matured and has moved in quite a different direction. The four paintings we bought last year all share a certain visual boldness, whereas our newer acquisitions such as the Raad, John Divola and Barrada are much quieter in terms of their aesthetic sensibility but more deeply conceptual. Are you keen on collecting both Western and Middle Eastern art? Ranya: Of course I want to support artists in the region, but I don’t really believe in the existence of a stable definition of what Western or Middle Eastern art is to begin with. These kind of restrictive cultural categories have become rather exhausted and obsolete in today’s world; it’s kind of like defining French art, it’s too broad, too reductive and too problematic. While the majority of our collection admittedly consists of works by Middle Eastern artists, these are all artists that critique such identity-based narratives in some way or another. I very much look forward to expanding our collection to include more artists from beyond the region. Divola, for example, is a Californian Conceptual artist from the 1970s and 80s who I think resonates with Raad in a very interesting way that has absolutely nothing to do with nationality. What is next on your list? Ranya: I would love a work by Rayanne Tabet, he’s so talented and so young! Also, Latifa Echa- khch has been on my wish list for a while. There are also several very exciting young American Abstract painters and photographers I have my eye on at the moment: Alex Olson, Julia Dault, Zak Prekop and Liz Deschenes, among several others. “I very much look forward to expanding our collection to include more artists from beyond the region.” 110 James Khazaei I’d love to dine with: Pablo Picasso. Art motto: Buy what you love and can afford. The first thing I do when I buy a new piece is: Insure it! I know I should like but I just can’t: Damien Hirst. Thinking of buying next: Anish Kapoor, Peter Beard and Louay Kayyali. The artwork that got away was: One by Ayman Baalbaki. f or James Khazaei, growing up in his London home was like living in a museum. Filled with antiques and 16th century furniture courtesy of his father’s gallery, he gradually became obsessed. Indeed, Khazaei’s “art side” was set alight when he was just six years-old: “We had a rob- bery at the house and the police had scouted the residence, but I found a broken piece of ivory in the garden that served as the main lead in the case. It was then that I started look- ing through catalogues to try and identify the piece and match it,” he says. In addition to be- ing surrounded by tapestries, chandeliers and antique furniture at home, Khazaei developed “an entrepreneurial side” while spending time at his father’s gallery. “I was about eight years old and I was in the gallery when Michael Jack- son walked in – he was a regular buyer. So I got the secretary to ask him to autograph a piece of paper for me,” laughs Khazaei. “I then photocopied it and sold the copies at school!” After attending St Paul’s School, he opted to study Business Management at King’s Col- lege in London, graduating in 1996 and then venturing into investment banking. Khazaei moved to the UAE in 2002 and worked in real estate and asset management before setting up his own real estate development fund in 2008. His foray into the Middle East’s Contempo- rary art world began with his childhood friend, Michael Jeha, Managing Director of Christie’s Middle East & Head of Department and art consultant Dina Nasser-Khadivi. Iran Map I by Farhad Moshiri marked his first acquisition at the inaugural Christie’s Dubai auctions in May 2006; the piece is also one of many works by the Iranian Pop artist in Khazaei’s collection. “I was really attracted to Iran Map I ,” he says. “It reminded me of my father and I suppose it spoke to my Middle Eastern roots; in many respects I feel more Eastern than British.” More acquisitions followed and though pre- dominantly Contemporary Iranian, his collec- tion now boasts works by Arab and European Modern and Contemporary artists. “I would Facing page: James Khazaei with works by (on the wall) Charles Hossein Zenderoudi. First Name . 1977. Acrylic on canvas. 131 x 209 cm; (on the shelf) Lorenzo Quinn. Gravity . 2007. Bronze. 42 x 28.5 x 9.5 cm. Edition 484 of 495; (right) Adam Henein. Marie Nilus – Harraniya . 1969. Bronze. 130 x 25 x 25 cm; (on the table, right) Aninat & Swinburn. Sins & Virtues . 2012. Gold plated plaques. Each 19.5 x 15 cm. Edition two of three; and (on the table, left) Andisheh Avini. Spider Skull . 2007. Plastic. 14.6 x 12.7 x 20.3 cm. Unique piece. This page: Abbas Kiarostami. Snow . Triptych. 1978–2006. Photographic print on canvas. Unique piece.165 x 225 cm. Image courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd, 2007. say my collection now is 65% Iranian, 25% Arab and 10% Western”, he adds. Though some pieces hang in friends’ homes and of- fices due to Khazaei’s limited wall space, the main collection is in storage and is something he hopes to one day show in a public space. How did you come to decide to buy your first piece at auction? I thought that a Christie’s auction would con- sign the best of whatever there was. It was also a learning curve for me – it was a nas- cent market, so there was an opportunity for me to watch it develop. I was hooked and ob- sessed, but I now have a different mentality to acquiring pieces. How so? I don’t attend vernissages and now prefer to be the anonymous bidder in the room, because it got to the point where some people would fol- low what I did and that became a real issue as this would drive up the price on a piece and “I would also like to see established artists assist emerging artists and share their experiences.” young collectors on the rare occasion, I would lose out on it. I was also approached to buy things the minute I walked out of the auction room, which I found quite tasteless. What are your thoughts on the Contemporary Iranian art scene? It’s very different now compared to what it was a few years ago. Collectors then were just in- nocently enjoying buying, but there was a small percentage who looked at this as a gold rush – they took advantage of artists who didn’t under- stand the process, or in some cases, dictated what to produce. As a result, those particular artists weren’t able to sustain quality or price. Some burnt themselves, others even predated their works, and now no one wants to own such pieces. Thankfully, I feel this attitude has been flushed out and credit must go to how the art environment has evolved organically. Now, it’s more about the quality of works. Galleries have matured and worked hand in hand with artists, and I give them a lot of credit for sticking it out during the crisis. Artists have also engaged in this process and there is a certain trust and kindness in these relationships now. Everyone is doing their bit – it’s like a family environment with a sense of unity and this can only benefit artists and collectors. Do you have any regrets about art that you’ve bought? None! I’m keeping what I want and slowly pruning out the rest, which is not a lot and not an active process either. I did sell a work by Moshiri that I loved to a very big European collector; it was the right decision as it meant creating awareness about regional art to that calibre of collector and he now collects art from this genre. “A lot my purchases are based on my intuition and advice from others, in addition to educating myself on the region and its artists.” young collectors