London-based Frieze currently operates seven art fairs around the world and will add one more. On Friday, the company announced that it will partner with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to host the expo in Abu Dhabi in November 2026.
DCT Abu Dhabi is currently organizing the region’s leading local fair, the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, which started in 2007. The 2025 edition of the fair will go ahead as planned. Frieze 2026 will be the first art fair in Abu Dhabi and will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in the Saadiyat Cultural District.
“For nearly two decades, Abu Dhabi Art has embodied our cultural vision as a driver of dialogue, connection and creativity, and is supported by a vibrant ecosystem of museums, residencies and institutions nurturing established and emerging artists. The launch of Frieze Abu Dhabi is a natural evolution of this philosophy,” Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said in a statement on the journey. It is rooted in the achievements of Abu Dhabi’s arts and will catapult them onto the global stage, cementing the emirate’s status as a cultural capital while providing Frieze Art Fair with a unique gateway to the region. Together we create an exhibition that not only has international reach, but is also closely connected to Abu Dhabi’s values and strengths. “
Frieze’s fair lineup has grown steadily in recent years. In 2023, it acquired the New York Armory Show and the Chicago Exposition. In the same year, it held a fair in Seoul and expanded to Los Angeles in 2019 and New York in 2012. Its signature fair, Frieze London, opened its first edition in 2003, while Frieze Masters, held simultaneously on the other side of Regent’s Park, began in 2012. It now also operates year-round exhibition spaces in London and Seoul.
Earlier this week, Frieze was officially acquired by Mari, a newly formed company founded by Ari Emanuel, which reportedly raised $2 billion in equity to back the new venture, which includes a majority stake in the tennis tournament and collector car auction house. The new company’s main investors are Apollo, RedBird Capital Partners and Qatar Investment Company. The launch of Frieze Abu Dhabi “represents the first major initiative under Frieze’s new ownership and reflects a shared ambition to emphasize Abu Dhabi’s status as a cultural and creative hub, while giving Frieze a unique position within the Gulf’s most established arts ecosystem,” a press release said.
Frieze is not the first international art fair to be held in the Bay Area. In May this year, Art Basel announced that it would hold an art fair in Doha, the capital of Qatar. (Last year there were rumors that Art Basel would take over Art Abu Dhabi and relaunch it as an Art Basel-branded show.) Art Basel Qatar is markedly different from other shows put on by the Swiss company. It is smaller, with 87 exhibitors announced earlier this week, and has an overarching curatorial theme chosen by its artistic director, artist Wael Shawky.
In Abu Dhabi, Frieze Art Fair will join a growing art scene with several institutions opening or planning to open. These include the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2016, and the New York University Abu Dhabi Art Museum, which opened in 2014. The Zayed National Museum, dedicated to Emirati history and culture, will open in December, while the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is expected to open next year.
While Abu Dhabi, named the world’s richest city in 2024, does not have a strong commercial gallery scene like nearby Dubai, the emirate has always been active in the art market. In 2024, Sotheby’s received a cash infusion of US$1 billion from the UAE sovereign wealth fund ADQ. In February this year, the auction held its first auction in Saudi Arabia, which generated $17.3 million. In December, it will host the first Abu Dhabi Collectors Week, a series of luxury auctions that will bring together cars, watches and jewellery.
“We are honored to partner with DCT Abu Dhabi to launch Frieze Abu Dhabi,” said Simon Fox, CEO of Frieze Abu Dhabi, in a statement. “Abu Dhabi’s cultural leadership, anchored by its world-class museums, institutions and commitment to the arts, sets the stage for this collaboration. Combined with the reach of Frieze’s global platform, we can expand the emirate’s achievements while opening up new possibilities for discovery, championing the region’s artistic practices and establishing the fair as a space for dialogue and exchange.”
