forbes.com
Art Basel struggles as Art Dubai thrives with focus on emerging artists
Art Basel faces declining attendance and sales, while Art Dubai's 2025 edition saw increased sales and thirty new galleries, showcasing emerging artists and collaborations with brands like BMW, highlighting a potential shift in the art market's focus.
- How did Art Dubai's commitment to emerging artists and regional talent influence its success in 2025, and what strategies did it employ?
- The contrasting performances of Art Basel and Art Dubai highlight a shift in the art market. Art Basel's decline suggests challenges in attracting VIP attendees and generating sales, while Art Dubai's growth demonstrates the success of focusing on emerging artists and regional talent.
- What factors contributed to the contrasting performance of established art fairs like Art Basel and emerging fairs like Art Dubai in 2025?
- Art Basel VIP fair attendance nearly halved between 2019 and 2024, and gallery sales at Art Basel dropped from 46% of yearly sales in 2018 to 29% in 2023. However, Art Dubai saw increased sales and thirty new galleries exhibiting in 2025, showcasing a more positive trend in the art market.
- What are the long-term implications of Art Dubai's model for the future of the global art market, considering its focus on collaboration and regional talent?
- Art Dubai's strategic focus on regional artists and collaborations with institutions like BMW positions it for continued growth. This approach contrasts with Art Basel's apparent struggles, suggesting a future trend toward more localized and collaborative art market models.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The article's framing heavily favors Art Dubai, highlighting its success stories and positive aspects while downplaying the struggles of other art fairs. The headline, while not explicitly biased, subtly focuses on Art Dubai's positive trajectory. The introduction emphasizes the fair's achievements and new initiatives. The inclusion of prominent figures discussing the fair's positive impact further reinforces this positive framing. While the challenges of other fairs are acknowledged, they are presented as background information, thereby highlighting Art Dubai's relative success. This positive framing could influence readers' perceptions of the overall art market, leading them to overlook the broader challenges and complexities.
Language Bias
The language used is largely neutral, but there are instances of potentially loaded terms. For example, describing Art Dubai as a "maverick" and using phrases like "glamorous waterfront" and "breakout names" adds a positive connotation. While not overtly biased, these choices could subtly influence reader perception. More neutral alternatives could include terms like "innovative" instead of "maverick" and descriptive phrasing instead of using "glamorous."
Bias by Omission
The article focuses heavily on Art Dubai's success and the positive aspects of the art market, while giving less attention to the challenges faced by other art fairs like Frieze and Art Basel. The decline in sales and attendance at these fairs is mentioned, but not explored in depth. The overall narrative omits a broader discussion of the economic factors influencing the art market, focusing instead on Art Dubai's unique position and the positive stories of individual artists. While this could be a matter of scope, a more balanced perspective would include a more detailed look at the broader market trends and challenges.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a somewhat simplified view of the art market, contrasting the success of Art Dubai with the struggles of other fairs. It doesn't fully explore the nuances and complexities of the global art market or the diverse experiences within it. While Art Dubai's success is noteworthy, framing it as a stark contrast to other fairs without acknowledging the varying factors contributing to their respective situations creates a potentially misleading dichotomy.
Gender Bias
The article features a balanced representation of male and female artists, with roughly equal attention given to both. The language used to describe the artists is generally neutral and avoids gender stereotypes. While there is no explicit gender bias, a deeper analysis might explore if there are implicit biases embedded in the selection or presentation of the featured artists.
Sustainable Development Goals
Art Dubai actively promotes emerging artists, particularly from the Middle East and other regions, providing them with a platform to showcase their work and potentially gain recognition and financial success. This contributes to reduced inequality by offering opportunities to artists who might otherwise lack access to prominent art markets.