Frieze Abu Dhabi to feature 84 galleries from 36 countries

The inaugural edition of Frieze Abu Dhabi will run from 19 to 22 November 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, in the Saadiyat Cultural District, the fair’s organisers announced.

More than 80 galleries from 63 cities and 36 countries will take part, presenting works ranging from antiquity through the 20th century to the present day. The fair marks Frieze’s entry into the Middle East and joins its existing fairs in London, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Seoul.

Frieze Abu Dhabi has been established in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. It builds on 17 years of community-building among collectors, galleries, artists and institutions carried out under Abu Dhabi Art, the fair it succeeds. It will be held in the Saadiyat Cultural District alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

The fair is led by director Dyala Nusseibeh. “Across the main section and Focus, galleries will present ambitious, thoughtfully considered booths, while the curated sections, Global Futures and Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi, will introduce fresh perspectives and avenues for critical inquiry,” she said. “Frieze Abu Dhabi will be a catalyst for knowledge production, art market integration and meaningful participation in global discourse for the whole region.”

Kristell Chadé, executive director of fairs at Frieze, said the fair “begins with the depth and ambition of the UAE and wider WANASA art scene” – a reference to West Asia, North Africa and South Asia, the region Frieze says has shaped the event. Eva Langret, Frieze’s director for EMEA, said the first edition “inherits nearly two decades of active community-building” and “benefits immeasurably from Abu Dhabi’s long-term commitment to supporting artists, galleries and cultural production”.

Galleries and sections

The main Galleries section will bring together more than 60 galleries from 56 cities and 32 countries, showing work from the mid-20th century to today. The UAE line-up includes Carbon 12, Lawrie Shabibi, The Third Line, Tabari Artspace and Iris Projects, among others. Galleries from the wider West Asia region include Saleh Barakat Gallery, Mark Hachem and Galerie Tanit from Lebanon, Athr and Hafez Gallery from Saudi Arabia, Dastan from Tehran, and BüroSarıgedik and Galerist from Istanbul.

North Africa is represented by a Tunisian contingent that includes A.Gorgi Gallery, Elmarsa Gallery, Selma Feriani and Le Violon Bleu Gallery, as well as Cairo’s Gypsum and ArtTalks | Kanafani Gallery and Casablanca’s Loft Art Gallery. South Asia’s presence is anchored by Indian galleries including Experimenter, Galerie Isa, Jhaveri Contemporary, Nature Morte and Project 88.

Twenty European galleries are taking part, with a strong showing from London, including Ab-Anbar, Pi Artworks, Thaddaeus Ropac, Richard Saltoun Gallery, Timothy Taylor, Victoria Miro, Vigo Gallery, Voena and Waddington Custot. Other European exhibitors include Sabrina Amrani and Baró Galeria from Spain, Galleria Continua, Galleria Franco Noero, P420 and Vistamare from Italy, galerie frank elbaz, In Situ – Fabienne Leclerc and Perrotin from France, Pedro Cera from Portugal and Sfeir-Semler Gallery from Germany.

East and Southeast Asia will be represented by Gajah Gallery from Singapore, Johyun Gallery from Busan, Pearl Lam Projects from Shanghai and Rossi & Rossi and Hanart TZ Gallery from Hong Kong. The Americas are represented by Gagosian, Pace Gallery, Leila Heller Gallery and Vito Schnabel Gallery, all from New York, and Proyectos Ultravioleta from Guatemala City. Lagos gallery kó extends the fair’s reach into sub-Saharan Africa.

Organisers said female artists have a strong presence across the fair, citing Richard Saltoun Gallery’s presentation of Juliana Seraphim, Bertina Lopes, Everlyn Nicodemus and Rina Banerjee; Pi Artworks showing Susan Hefuna, Gülay Semercioğlu and Nancy Atakan; Lawrie Shabibi presenting Hamra Abbas and Shaikha Al Mazrou; and Waddington Custot showing Etel Adnan, Sophia Vari and Fabienne Verdier.

Focus for younger international galleries

Focus, Frieze’s section for younger international galleries, will host solo and dual presentations, with bursaries offered to each participating gallery. Presentations include Management showing new textile and installation works by Kenyan-born, New York-based artist Tahir Karmali; Solo presenting three sculptural works by Thuy Tien Nguyen; and further solo shows from W-galería with Chonon Bensho, Patel Brown with Marigold Santos, Iyad Qanazea Gallery with Jawad Al Malhi, and Commonwealth and Council with Dala Nasser.

Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi

Curated by independent curator Marika Sardar, Frieze Masters Abu Dhabi will present objects and artefacts from West Asia and beyond, spanning antiquity to the early 20th century. The inaugural edition is themed around the Indian Ocean, tracing the historic movement of objects, people and ideas through trade, collecting and cultural exchange. Specialists taking part include ArtAncient, David Aaron, Daniel Crouch Rare Books, Peter Finer, Eqtna Rare Books, Peter Harrington, Antiquariaat Forum and Inlibris Rare Books & Manuscripts.

Global Futures

Curated by independent curator and writer Tarini Malik, Global Futures brings together solo presentations by artists whose work engages with histories and ideas connected to the UAE and the wider region. Presentations include Taymour Grahne Projects with Ala Younis, Aisha Alabbar Gallery with Abdullah Al Saadi, Vermelho with Tania Candiani, Zawyeh Gallery with Mohammed Joha (whose work also features in this year’s Venice Biennale), Chatterjee & Lal with Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai, and Marfa’ Projects with Seta Manoukian.

Selection committee and partners

The fair’s selection committee comprises Yasmin Atassi (Green Art Gallery), Asmaa Al-Shabibi (Lawrie Shabibi), Amrita Jhaveri (Jhaveri Contemporary), Sandhini Poddar (adjunct curator-at-large for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project) and Glenn Scott Wright (Victoria Miro).

Deutsche Bank, which has been Frieze’s global lead partner for 23 years, is supporting the fair and will present a curated installation in its lounge by UAE artist Omar Al Gurg, whose practice explores overlooked narratives and subtle ecological changes.

Frieze Abu Dhabi’s wider programme will include the debut Frieze Abu Dhabi Artist Award, Frieze Sculpture, and In Dialogue, a new annual exhibition pairing an established UAE artist with an emerging one, alongside talks on collecting, the institutional landscape and artistic practice.

Organisers note the exhibitor list is current at the time of publication and may change.