{"id":249740,"date":"2025-09-23T19:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T19:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/249740\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T19:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T19:50:19","slug":"why-nomadic-art-dealer-taymour-grahne-is-betting-on-dubai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/249740\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Nomadic Art Dealer Taymour Grahne Is Betting on Dubai"},"content":{"rendered":"

Art Market<\/p>\n

\"\"\"Amy<\/p>\n

Portrait of Taymour Grahne. Photo by Tarek Moukaddem. Curtesy of Taymour Grahne. <\/p>\n

Taymour Grahne is no longer a purely nomadic art dealer<\/a>. After nearly 15 years of operating between London and New York, the Finnish Lebanese dealer is putting down roots with a new project space<\/a> in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai\u2019s leading arts district. <\/p>\n

Although he\u2019s operated at gallery spaces throughout his career, Grahne is known for doing things unconventionally. Over the last 15 years, he has operated with a nomadic model, hosting pop-up shows around the world rather than maintaining a single brick-and-mortar location. He eschewed the well-trodden paths of his peers, such as participating in numerous art fairs, and has consistently championed an experimental program of more than 50 artists, including Amy Lincoln<\/a>, Dominique Fung<\/a>, Samira Abbassy<\/a>, and Latifa Alajlan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now, the intrepid dealer, who is only in his thirties, is returning to his roots. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to kind of go back in time, because everything happened for a reason,\u201d he told Artsy. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Exterior view of Taymour Grahne Projects Dubai, 2025. Courtesy of Taymour Grahne Projects. <\/p>\n

Indeed, Grahne\u2019s connection to art can be traced back to the Middle East. Born in London and raised there, New York, and Beirut, Grahne\u2019s interest in and introduction to art began in the Arab region early on. His Lebanese grandfather, Nuhad Es-Said, was a passionate collector of Islamic metalwork. \u201cI remember we were in Washington, D.C., because his collection was on view at the Smithsonian Museum. It was my earliest memory of anything related to the arts,\u201d Grahne said. <\/p>\n

Grahne later studied international relations in Boston, and he recalls visiting his family in Beirut and roaming around the city\u2019s vibrant art scene during this time. His encounters with gallerists and artists, such as the longtime Lebanese dealer Saleh Barakat and the veteran Lebanese painter Mouna Sehnaoui<\/a>, left a lasting impact on him. This was the genesis of his influential blog, Art of the Mid East<\/a>, which he launched at the age of 19. \u201cI went back to Boston and I was like, \u2018Wow! There\u2019s so much happening in the region, and there\u2019s barely anything being written about it.\u2019\u201d Featuring exhibition reviews and artist and collector interviews, the blog became Grahne\u2019s entry point into the art world.<\/p>\n

\"Nicky<\/p>\n

For four years, Grahne earned a reputation for his presentations of notable Middle Eastern names in the contemporary art world, including French Algerian artists Zineb Sedira<\/a> and Katia Kameli<\/a>, Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem<\/a>, and Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj<\/a>. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m biased,\u201d he confessed, \u201cbut some of the best artists in the world are from the Middle East, because they\u2019re really dealing with such important topics: the history of the region, the legacies, both socioeconomic and political.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Grahne, his selection of artists to work with was always based on an innate feeling. \u201cThey have to really speak to me,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt has to connect to me on a visual level first to bring me in. Then comes the concept, thought, research, and process. For me, it\u2019s really a combination of singularity, authenticity, research, and depth of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Katia<\/p>\n

But by 2017, Grahne was ready for his next journey. He missed living in London and being closer to his family and friends in the U.K., Lebanon, and the UAE, so he moved to the British capital. There, he founded his eponymous art advisory and set up online and pop-up exhibitions in locations including Cromwell Place in South Kensington and a number of spaces in Fitzrovia. Notable shows featured American artists Maia Cruz Palileo<\/a> and Gail Spaien<\/a>, and South Korean artist GaHee Park<\/a>, among others. \u201cIt was great moving around and being flexible,\u201d he said. \u201cI do believe the nomadic model will be the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Maia\"Maia<\/p>\n

In the bigger picture, the UAE has developed a unique and attractive ecosystem of museums, galleries, biennales, auction houses, and other artistic establishments. Aside from Grahne\u2019s new home of Alserkal Avenue, lined with contemporary art galleries, modern eateries, and homegrown boutiques, Dubai is also home to the region\u2019s most prominent and international fair, Art Dubai<\/a>, which has been running for nearly two decades. Major auction houses, including Sotheby\u2019s and Christie\u2019s, have also set up bases in the city, promoting modern and contemporary art from the wider region, including Iran and Turkey. <\/p>\n

Nearby, the emirate of Sharjah has its namesake biennale and the museum-like Barjeel Art Foundation<\/a> displaying a wide and vibrant selection of artworks hailing from the Arab world. And not to mention, nearby Abu Dhabi is turning into the museum destination of the country, hosting the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming projects of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum. <\/p>\n

With Grahne\u2019s new two-level space, Taymour Grahne Projects, he is doing things his way and adopting a new mindset. He is, for instance, refraining from using the traditional language of the art world. He explains that he doesn\u2019t want to \u201crepresent\u201d artists but \u201ccollaborate\u201d with them, and he aims to establish an approachable \u201cproject space\u201d over a stereotypical gallery. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a project space. There will be artist talks and tours. I\u2019m going to make a big effort to bring people to the gallery. Let\u2019s have coffee and walk around the show, and let\u2019s see what else is on view,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Gail Spaien, installation view of \u201cArranging Flowers\u201d at Taymour Grahne Projects Dubai, 2025. Courtesy of Taymour Grahne Projects. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be present in my space and my shows. I want to spend time with people here,\u201d he added. One way he hopes to do this is by taking a measured approach to art fairs, perhaps participating in up to two events per year. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be on a plane going to 10 art fairs a year every three weeks,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want that lifestyle. I want to be here to build.\u201d He also aims to bring new artist names to new audiences in Dubai, making his space an international one with a nod to the region.<\/p>\n

For his debut exhibition in Dubai, which opened mid-September, Grahne is showcasing a solo exhibition, \u201cArranging Flowers<\/a>,\u201d of serene artworks of New England charm by the American artist Gail Spaien, who draws inspiration from her coastal base in Maine. \u201cShe\u2019s been doing these incredible interior scenes and quiet still lifes with so many different reference materials, from American furniture designs to adverts of the \u201950s,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

One thing evident about Grahne is how sharp and assertive he is. He boldly states, for instance, that the typical gallery model is \u201cdying,\u201d as notable galleries around the world are closing. One reason, he notes, is due to quick expansion plans and high costs. \u201cI think the art market at the moment is in a weird place. I think if a gallery has a lot of high costs, a lot of locations, a lot of staff members, and they\u2019re doing a lot of fairs, they\u2019re in big trouble because there\u2019s definitely been a slowdown in the art market in general,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

\"Gail<\/p>\n

He also adds that regional and small cities like Beirut and Dubai, by contrast, are insulated to an extent from some of these systemic issues. \u201cThe Middle East is kind of immune to the gallery model,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the gallery model can only work in cities like Dubai, Beirut, and Mexico City; in spaces where there are fewer galleries and less competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s for that reason that working in Dubai may prove to be the young dealer\u2019s most formative journey yet. \u201cWe\u2019re in a day and age where the whole gallery model is in flux,\u201d Grahne, who will continue operating his advisory in London, said. \u201cI think many more galleries will close. I think we\u2019re at the tip of the iceberg, and I think a new art world, a new model, is coming. It’s a work in progress for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

RT<\/p>\n

\"RT\"<\/p>\n

Rawaa Talass<\/p>\n

Rawaa Talass is a Syrian journalist who has contributed to Artsy since 2020. Specializing in art and culture from the Arab world and the Middle East, she has also written for AD Middle East, Vogue Arabia, Arab News and The Art Newspaper. She holds two MA degrees in art history from the University of Kent in Paris and SOAS in London. She lives in Dubai. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Art Market Portrait of Taymour Grahne. Photo by Tarek Moukaddem. Curtesy of Taymour Grahne. Taymour Grahne is no…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":249741,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,1033,171,109873,132398,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-249740","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-gallery-scene-spotlights","13":"tag-taymour-grahne-projects","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115255353909626941","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}