From galleries to global artists, Art Dubai’s influence now stretches far beyond the fair Last updated: May 13, 2026 | 07:53 Visitors check out art displayed at Art Dubai in 2011, which has become a leading contemporary art fair for collectors artist and professionals from the Middle East, Gulf News archives Dubai: When Art Dubai launched in 2007, there were around 10 commercial galleries in Dubai. Today, there are more than 40. That number alone tells part of the story, but only part of it. This year, as the fair returns for its 20th edition from May 15 to 17, the conversation has shifted. It is no longer about what Art Dubai is, but about what it has built, and what two decades of deliberate, sustained investment in culture leaves behind. From annual event to year-round institution "The most defining shift is that Art Dubai grew from being an annual fair into part of the city's year-round cultural infrastructure," says Benedetta Ghione, Executive Director of Art Dubai Group.…