Middle East

What to see at 21,39—Saudi Arabia’s contemporary art festival

Critics choose highlights from fifth edition of the Jeddah show, organised by Tate curator Vassilis Oikonomopoulos

New Art Jameel space for contemporary art to launch in Saudi Arabia in 2019

The Hayy: Creative Hub centre in Jeddah is latest cultural offering announced in the rebranded Kingdom

Louvre Abu Dhabi replaces map that omitted Qatar after international outcry

Museum claims it was an "oversight", but others say it was political

Artists sign letter in support of Lorde's decision to cancel gig in Israel

Shepard Fairey, Peter Kennard and Emily Young among those who back singer after she was branded an anti-semitic bigot in a full-page advert in the Washington Post

Saudi mega museum—King Abdulaziz Center in Dhahran—is finally moving ahead

Cultural powerhouse in the Gulf—backed by Aramco—is extending its local and global reach

Muslim leaders across the Middle East work with Israeli rabbis to keep the peace

Interfaith network says that its efforts are more difficult—and urgent—since President Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem’s status

Iran’s first museum for a female artist honours nonagenarian

"Life’s work" of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian goes on show in former palace in Tehran

Banksy and Danny Boyle create Alternativity in Bethlehem, despite never meeting

Street artist and film director staged performance that was filmed for BBC Two documentary which will air this weekend

Abu Dhabi Art censors work by Saudi Arabian artist

Abdulnasser Gharem’s painting about Sunni-Shia divide was removed from Brigitte Schenk's stand at organisers' request

Middle East anti-fake drive triggers refund

Bonhams returns £176,500 for piece attributed to Egyptian sculptor

Pioneers of Lebanese painting star in private museum near the Syrian border

Collector Emile Hannouche has opened his family mansion in the Bekaa Valley to the public

Marrakech bids to become hub for contemporary African art as museum plans relaunch alongside 1:54 fair

Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden will hold “international opening” in February

Largest survey of Qatari contemporary art to open in Berlin despite ongoing blockade

Exhibition is final event in Year of Culture partnership between Qatar and Germany

Swiss journalists reporting on opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi detained for two days

The pair were blindfolded then interrogated for up to 10 hours by authorities over their coverage of migrant workers

Letter from Yemen: artist speaks out about his country’s 'forgotten war'

Ahmed Jahaf describes what it is like to live through catastrophic conflict

Podcastsfeature

Abu Dhabi Focus podcast, episode three: how the UAE art scene became a force to be reckoned with

Art dealer Thaddaeus Ropac and curator Maya Allison tell us how the nation’s creative ambitions have blossomed. Plus: Silver Lion-winning musician and artist Hassan Khan on his Abu Dhabi Art performance

Podcastsfeature

Abu Dhabi Focus podcast, episode two: How Saudi artists are driving political change

As Abu Dhabi Art fair opens, we speak to the Saudi artists Manal Al Dowayan and Ahmed Mater. Plus: Iraq's Dia Azzawi on creating the Arab world's Guernica

In the afterglow of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s opening, Abu Dhabi Art moves up a notch

Some dealers at the fair report brisk early business but say big sales are a waiting game

Video: Abu Dhabi Art opens as the world watches

Is the UAE now the art capital of the Middle East?

Podcastsfeature

Abu Dhabi Focus podcast, episode one: Louvre Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Art

With all eyes on Abu Dhabi this week, we speak to the architect Jean Nouvel on designing the Arab world's first universal museum. Plus: a preview of Abu Dhabi Art fair

Abu Dhabi Art set to benefit from Louvre opening

This year’s fair has 13 new exhibitors and is hoping for more international visitors

Collectors tackle rise in fake Modern Middle Eastern art

Dalloul Art Foundation investigates authenticity of some Middle Eastern works before museum opening

Tim Cornwell. , additional reporting by Anna Brady

Saudi Arabian artist’s first US solo show escapes shadow of 9/11

Abdulnasser Gharem says the US show allows him more freedom than he may have in Saudi Arabia

Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem to have first solo US show at Lacma

Former lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Arabian army is known for his politically and socially engaged works that draw on his Muslim heritage

Egyptnews

How art is keeping alive the memory of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

Five years after the uprisings in Cairo, the spirit of the protests lives on in cultural projects

Dashed hopes of the Arab Spring: Ibrahim El-Salahi creates new work inspired by protests

Drawings by the Sudanese artist will be shown in full for the first time in Istanbul this month charting an arc from hope to violence

Wanted: a new generation of Monuments Men

Curators, art historians and museum directors sought by the US Army to provide expert advice in combat zones

Renewal in the Arab world to come from women and the young, says French president

Last month’s conference at the Institut du Monde Arabe acquired special meaning after Charlie Hebdo