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Saudi artists set to soar with King Abdullah backing

3 May 2010
`Men at Work III,' a painting made entirely of stamps by Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem. Source: Abdulnasser Gharem via Bloombe

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`Men at Work III,' a painting made entirely of stamps by Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem. Source: Abdulnasser Gharem via Bloombe

Saudi art, still little known outside the desert kingdom, is starting to get international attention after a group of artists exhibited in London in October 2008 and at last year’s Venice Biennale.

The government-supported drive to promote Saudi artists on the global stage, part of a strategy by King Abdullah to rebrand his Islamic state as investor-friendly, comes at a time when prices for artworks from the oil-rich Gulf country remain relatively low.

Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem sold his first work at auction for $8,700 in Dubai last year. In March at Art Dubai, another of his pieces, made from rubber stamps, was bought by an Emirati collector for $50,000.

Read more at Bloomberg

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