Step Inside: The Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Is Open Now

by Dianne Apen-Sadler

Step Inside: The Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Is Open Now

5 Mar 2024

The heart of culture in Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District is already home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat and the NYUAD Art Gallery, with upcoming projects including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. Now, a new space for creatives has opened: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation.

Bassam Freiha Art Foundation

Named for its founder, philanthropist and art collector Bassam Said Freiha, the venue is the first, and only, private art foundation in Saadiyat Cultural District. Its aim is to give the public the chance to view rarely seen works from private collections both locally and internationally, as well as to inspire the next generation of artists while nurturing emerging talent.

Alongside each exhibition, there will be art history lectures, panel discussions, workshops for children of different abilities and courses explaining the fundamentals of art collection.

Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, 2024. Designed by Rasha Gebran, Director of Architecture and Design at A.D.D. Consultants. Photography by Muhammed Shameem of Dreambox

Speaking with the Sandy Times, BFAF Director of Exhibitions Michaela Watrelot said, “We are hoping to establish regular scholarships for artists to nurture their talent as emerging artists and bring them forward.

“The core of our vision is to support the local art ecosystem. We also hope to bring a very strong exhibition programme by partnering with established collectors — regional, international and institutional — to really help bring artworks that usually remain hidden in private homes and give the public the opportunity to see such rare masterpieces in our exhibition halls.”

Echoes of the Orient

Bassam Freiha has been a collector of 19th Century Orientalist paintings for more than 50 years, and at the inaugural exhibition, “Echoes of the Orient”, you’ll have the chance to see 29 works from this period.

Women Resting on the Terrace (undated) by Fabio Fabbi. Oil on canvas, 90 x 150 cm. Bassam Freiha Collection

The gallery is split into four sections, and is centred around the theme of femininity, from depictions of the harem to maternal affection. Western artists exhibited include Paul Leroy, Jan-Baptist Huysmascuns and Fabio Fabbi, which are displayed alongside works from Arab modernists like Habib Srour, Moustafa Faroukh and Cesar Gemayel.

Watrelot said, “This juxtaposition aims to catalyse a meaningful West-East dialogue surrounding the Orientalist movement, promote critical thinking about the existing narrative ascribed to Orientalist art, and foster a deeper understanding of cultural exchange which transcends time and geography.”

Reclaiming visions

The Foundation’s annex gallery is designed to be a space for local and regional artists to display their work, and right now you can explore the “Reclaiming Visions” exhibition. Two artists are exhibiting work as part of the showcase: US-based Iraqi-Palestinian artist Sama Alshaibi, and Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi.

Water Bearer II (2019) by Sama Alshaibi. Photogravure blind embossing with transparent ink relief rolled on Stonehenge White 100% rag paper, 63.5 x 50.8 cm, Edition of 8. Courtesy of the artist and Ayyam Gallery

The former’s work features a number of pieces from her Carry Over series. Using the same albumen and photogravure printing process as the historical images she is referencing, the series features a number of photos of Alshaibi carrying large vessels meant to symbolise the “burden of enduring misrepresentations”. Al Qubaisi’s sculptures meanwhile serve as a reinterpretation of the abaya and the ghonnella.

“Echoes of the Orient” and “Reclaiming Visions” will be on display at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation until August 15. The gallery is free to visit, and is open daily between 10 am and 8 pm.

by Dianne Apen-Sadler