Middle East's biggest art fair draws crowds, top names

By Summer Said

DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of savvy collectors and flamboyant art dealers flocked to a Dubai art fair this week to snap up top-end cutting-edge art, unscathed by the protracted global credit crunch, the fair organisers said on Friday.

"The contemporary art scene is booming, and Dubai is well positioned to capitalise on this boom," said Benedict Floyd, the co-founder of Art Dubai, the region's only major international art show.

"There is a growing interest from collectors, both private, institutional and corporate, who realise that art, at least in this region, is protected from the financial woes," he told Reuters.

This year's event, which runs until Saturday, brings together a record 68 participating galleries from 28 countries, and thousands of art lovers.

Serious collectors are expected to generate turnover of more than $15 million.

Buyers took their pick of Andy Warhol's depiction of cars, sold for $1.95 million, photographs by famous Iranian artist Shirin Neshat for more than $300,000, and a Julian Opie piece for $62,000.

Dubai, the Gulf's commercial heart, is increasingly attracting contemporary artists, especially from neighbouring Iran and South Asia, as exhibition venues multiply.

Zero import and export taxes for art, and a free flow of capital has already seen the emirate become a possible rival to Hong Kong, the world's third most important art auction hub behind New York and London.