Boxing has Don King. F1 has Bernie Ecclestone. Music (for its sins) has Simon Cowell. And if you were compiling a list of the most influential people working in the art world today chances are you would put Larry Gagosian somewhere near the top. He’s an LA-born art dealer who has helped launch the careers of some of the most iconic names in modern art, and those not currently in his rolodex can consider themselves B-list artists at best. You know the people whose work you’ve got prints and postcards of, whose paintings are recognised the world over, even by people who’ve never set foot in an art gallery? People like Andy Warhol, Edward Ruscha and Cy Twombly? He has shared croissants with them all.
Having opened his first gallery back in 1979, Gagosian now boasts nine exhibition spaces located across five cities, accommodating the world’s most sought-after talents. Later this year, he’s opening a new exhibition space down the road from Musée du Louvre, Paris. But before that he’s coming to Abu Dhabi.
As you might expect, he’s accumulated a staggering personal art collection over the years. In fact, we’d wager that the canvas hanging on the wall of his downstairs loo is probably worth more than your house. And it’s this personal treasure trove of artwork – some shipped in directly from the bedroom of his New York apartment – that is currently being hung on the walls of the capital’s Manarat Al Saadiyat gallery. Though it remains to be seen whether Gagosian’s haul is made up of the cream of his clients’ creative crop, or simply cast offs deemed unworthy of his galleries, the show – named RSTW after the six artists involved and appearing courtesy of TDIC’s Cultural Department – represents a unique opportunity to witness a set of never before-seen works from some of the 20th century’s most celebrated talents.
Not that the headline-grabbing names are the only talking points surrounding Gagosian’s visit. Shows of this magnitude have traditionally been reserved for Emirates Palace’s Gallery One, which has, in the past, exhibited heavyweights including Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. For us, at least, the shift to Saadiyat Island is just as significant as the creative calibre of Warhol, Twombly and co. How come? In inviting the public to wander amid what are essentially his personal possessions, RSTW promises to be a deeply personal show, so it’s appropriate that in shifting our attention to the site of Abu Dhabi’s ambitious cultural developments, this is also a personal moment for the capital. And, frankly, we can’t think of anyone more fitting to usher in the city’s cultural revolution.
Read our full review of RSTW here.
RSTW runs from September 22 to January 24 at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Entry is free.
