Larry Gagosian owns a collection of art that rivals some of the world’s top galleries combined. He has been linked to record breaking private art purchases and has been labeled by art insiders as “The world’s greatest art businessman.” I overheard one guest at the launch say, “Not bad for a guy who started selling framed posters as a teenager!”
I have to be honest. Art isn’t a lifestyle for me; however, it is a rare treat in my life – a visit to a famous gallery while on holiday in a romantic city like Paris, London, or New York. So stepping into the gallery at Manarat Al Saadiyat was a fabulous surprise. It looks
and feels like one of the top galleries anywhere in the world. The location and the facilities are world class, and the exhibition was beautifully presented so that visitors can immerse themselves in the art, appreciating, learning, and admiring these amazing works by “a few of the major figures in American Contemporary Art.”
From left to right, Curator Anne Baldassari with back to camera and Larry Gagosian show RSTW collection to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and Christopher Wool are six post war contemporary artists who have all “shaped the history of contemporary art” and make up the RS TW collection. The large gallery designed in an “X” type configuration; in fact, the inspiration for the architecture of the layout as described by Curator by Anne Baldassari is “the great X of its scenic scheme”
Framing the entrance to each room is a small biography of the artist, which gives an insight to the inspiration behind the pieces. RS TW really does “give us a public view of a private collection – and a window into the world of the art collector.”
You can’t help but be amazed by this stunning private “never before seen” by the general public collection of art. From Warhol’s black and white “Marilyn” to the graffiti inspired pieces of Christopher Wool, this exhibition is an education and indulgence of the
senses for art lovers and art novices alike.
Reading the biographies and getting a small insight into the artists’ individual influence on the art world really does bring into context and let me appreciate what a vast, spectacular collection Larry Gagosian has amassed during his career. The exhibition runs five months until January 24, 2011 and includes a full schedule of related events. From workshops for adults and teenagers to “Artful Afternoon Teas” and film screenings, there is something for everybody at RSTW. The exhibition really brings Abu Dhabi a step closer to its vision as a beacon for the arts and a place of international cultural exchange. You really feel while visiting an exhibition of this caliber that Abu Dhabi is becoming the cultural center of Middle East. With the Guggenheim and Louvre openings three years
away in 2013, we have been given another teaser of what to expect when these two legendary institutions become part of our daily lives
