‘Wow, they’ve done a pretty good job here’. As he steps into Manarat Al Saadiyat’s Arts Abu Dhabi wing, world-conquering art dealer Larry Gagosian can add ‘stating the blindingly obvious’ to his list of talents. The smell of fresh paint and cleaning chemicals, rigorously deployed to prepare the room for its first headline show, hangs heavy in the air. And as a small handful of selected members of the city’s press step towards RSTW’s freshly hung wares, there’s the sense that something big is about to happen.
Marking the first major exhibition of a private collection in the city, RSTW showcases the works of six artists – Robert Rauschenberg, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol and Christopher Wool – men without whom the notion of contemporary art simply wouldn’t exist. All of the 72 pieces on display are taken from the personal collection of New York-based art magnate Larry Gagosian, one of the most revered figures on the global art scene and owner of exhibition space in New York, London and, as of later this year, Paris.
But today, the attention of this influential man – and indeed the entire art world – is on Abu Dhabi. Specifically Saadiyat Island, where mind-boggling plans for world-beating galleries and museums are now just three tantalising years away from being realised.
The pristine, white-walled hall is partitioned roughly into quarters, taking visitors through the six artists in alphabetical order. Rauschenberg and Ruscha have to make do with sharing the first room, the latter’s bold, politically critical canvases, including 1966’s ‘Burning Gas Station’ drawing the biggest crowds. A glass cabinet cuts the room diagonally in two, housing smaller paintings, sketches and studies.
The next section, belonging to Californian sculptor Richard Serra, couldn’t be more of a contrast. It’s an OCD sufferer’s worst nightmare, with hulking great slabs of lightly rusted sheet metal balancing precariously against each other, seemingly ready to topple and spoil a good day out at any second. It’s an unnerving space to spend more than a few minutes in, and how Gagosian can bear to own such intimidating pieces is quite frankly beyond us.
The third room – dedicated to Cy Twombly – is a more relaxing experience, with epic, towering canvases strewn with colourful, frustrated scrawls making visitors feel like they’ve stepped into the domain of a giant toddler who’s just set about the wallpaper with a packet of Crayolas. Approaching the paintings slowly gradually reveals their intricacies; lines of poetic verse and mythological references banishing any initial presumptions of immaturity.
But it is room four – dedicated to pop art lynchpin Andy Warhol – that causes the biggest bottleneck. It’s tough to know what to look at first, with instantly recognisable works like ‘Four Marilyns’, ‘Brillo Soap Pads Box’ and ‘Triple Elvis’ (which Gagosian names his favourite of all the show’s pieces) vying for attention. Such a high concentration of iconic images in any city would be a colossal feat, but in Abu Dhabi, it’s the sort of thing that makes you want to rub your eyes, pinch yourself and pour hot tea in your lap just to make sure you’ve not slipped into some fantastical dream.
Finally, Christopher Wool finds himself consigned to a small annex of a room, which those reeling from Warhol could easily miss. His portfolio is, for us, the least impressive in the flesh, consisting of abstract, graffiti-style paintings that bear no obvious message. In fact, our only lasting regret upon leaving the show is that Gagosian didn’t see fit to acquire any of the Chicago-born artist’s more direct and provocative typographical work.
But there you have it – six of the most respected names in contemporary art, all in Abu Dhabi, all under one roof. Those looking for some sort of common theme to tie the show together will be left wanting, although with work of such quality, that’s a luxury we’re more than happy to go without. It’s an intimate show, certainly – the very concept of publicly exhibiting one man’s private collection takes care of that. But the fact remains that Larry Gagosian is an art dealer, so the collection reveals little about the man himself other than the fact that he knows a good piece of art when he sees it. But, regardless of the numbers who file through Manarat Al Saadiyat’s doors before the show closes on January 24, RSTW will be deservedly remembered as a significant and brilliantly-executed landmark in the progression of Abu Dhabi’s cultural aspirations. Miss it at your peril.
RSTW is a free exhibition, open daily from 10am-8pm. Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island (02 406 1400)
