$$ Egyptian Art $$
The cover story of the latest issue of Egypt Today is all about Egyptian artists who are making it big in the world art market. The story quotes some of the (rapidly rising) prices for which contemporary Egyptian art is selling, and suggests that both Western galleries and local collectors are increasingly interested in buying it.
The discussion of the art itself isn't particularly insightful--I didn't get much of a sense of what distinguished the work of the artists featured, other than the fact that they all could be sold internationally. And I was left wondering how Egypt compares to other countries in the Middle East, like Lebanon and Iran, and to Abu Dhabi--where the art market is by all accounts booming and the Louvre is opening a franchise. But it's nice to see that there's some hope of financial support for Egyptian visual artists.
The discussion of the art itself isn't particularly insightful--I didn't get much of a sense of what distinguished the work of the artists featured, other than the fact that they all could be sold internationally. And I was left wondering how Egypt compares to other countries in the Middle East, like Lebanon and Iran, and to Abu Dhabi--where the art market is by all accounts booming and the Louvre is opening a franchise. But it's nice to see that there's some hope of financial support for Egyptian visual artists.