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PICASSO, DALI, WARHOL STRIDE IN TO BE SOLD

As joining him on canvas at the touring Sovereign Modern Masters Exhibition, which will be held at the Ritz Carlton, will be names like Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Tom Wesselmann, Joan Miró and Pablo Ruiz Picasso.

"I have been doing exhibitions regularly, but this marks my first entry in the Dubai market. I was keen on encountering it, because the market here, they say, is very interesting," says Fabien Fryns, proprietor of Fabien Fryns Fine Art, who after Dubai will take the exhibition to Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to Fryns, the two-day exhibition (May 16-17), hopes to find a home for some of the above mentioned artists' original works. "Stuff like this has never been available in the country before. Dubai has a thriving multicultural society and people are sure to relate to the pieces that are on display. The exhibition will provide a solid platform for art lovers to come face to face with the artists' work and help them purchase some of the pieces. Investing in them would be a really wonderful thing to do because all of the paintings available are genuine and not reproductions of other artists."

Seconding Fryns on the multi-cultural climate prevalent in Dubai, Edward Hill, representative of the Sovereign Group, Dubai, said, "Dubai is very much on the world map and a lot of cultural events happen here throughout the year, but it has to get into the mainstream of world culture. Events showcasing art are always well received by the people here, and it is very much evident by the amount of shows that take place here every year and the number of people attending them. There is a serious demand for art in the city and Dubai itself is becoming a piece of art." Fryns mentioned that most of the art on display has been picked up either directly from the foundations of the various artists or from famed private collectors in Europe. "There is a demand for art only when it has any value. And it has value only when it is an original."

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Most important French artist of the 20th century

Leader of Les Fauves ('wild beasts') Matisse was known for his aggressive strokes and bold use of primary colours. During World War II he did a series of book designs.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

French Impressionist Painter

Renoir's early works were typically Impressionist snapshots of real life, full of sparkling colour and light. By the mid-1880's, however, he had broken with the movement to apply a more disciplined, formal technique.

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Leader of the Surrealist Movement

The Persistance of Memory, with the soft or melting watches is still one of the best-known surrealist works. After his clash with the surrealists, Dali began moving into a new style that eventually became known as his 'classic' period.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Leader of the Pop Art Movement

Warhol crossed from commercial work to art, blurring the line between the two along the way. In the early 1960s his huge and colourful silk-screen renderings of banal objects like Coke bottles and the Campbell's Soup can were hugely popular.

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973)

Father of Cubism

Picasso is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Art experts generally separate his career into distinct phases and his most famous contribution to modern art, Cubism.