Art Collection
Jewelry Designer Nadine Kanso’s Art Collection Celebrates Arab Art
On a sunny day in Dubai’s popular beachside neighborhood of Jumeirah, Artsy is here to meet Nadine Kanso. A native of Lebanon, Kanso has made a name for herself in Dubai thanks to her high-end jewelry company, Bil Arabi (meaning “In Arabic”), which celebrates the Arabic language, scripture, and identity.
Much like her own vision of crafting wearable statement pieces that render beloved Arabic words, Kanso’s art collection—be it at home or in her trendy office in the bustling Dubai Design District—is a thoughtful reflection of Arab creativity that spans across generations.
Kanso has lived with her family in a two-story villa for more than two decades, filling it with stacks of coffee table books, knickknacks acquired from travels, and, of course, a large variety of art. Her collection spans an eclectic range from contemporary to modern, Arabic to Western, and it explores themes both vibrant and solemn. A striking visual aspect of Kanso’s living and dining rooms is her bold and groovy choice of wall color—dark purple and green. On these walls hang maximalist clusters of artworks, which include paintings, photographs, and prints. Kanso, who is also a photographer, doesn’t go by rules when hanging her artworks, but rather by intuition, where not everything has to match.
The British Council is considering selling up to half of the 9000 works in its art collection in order to pay a debt of £197m. This is the remaining total from its £250m pandemic-era government loan. Without additional financial support, it is ‘in real danger of disappearing’ the institution’s CEO Scott McDonald told The Guardian. The council is also considering shutting its operations in 30 to 40 countries.
McDonald states that the British Council is committed to paying back the loan but insists that the government must help find a viable solution. ‘I would just like reasonable loan terms of something like 25 years and a lower interest rate’ he said. The Art Newspaper has estimated that the current commercial interest rate applied to the loan amounts to £14m annually.
Read More: https://artreview.com/british-council-considers-selling-art-collection-to-pay-197m-debt/
Hospital patients and visitors will be able to enjoy the stories behind artwork from across Dorset through a new app.
A new project celebrating 35 years of art at Dorset County Hospital will bring the art straight to art lovers with a collection of stories and sounds that can be listened to via a mobile phone.
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Art Collection
British Council could plug £200million debt crisis by selling art collection featuring masterpieces by Tracey Amin and David Hockney
The British Council may be forced to put its £200million art collection up for sale as a result of ‘financial peril’ which is threatening the institution.
The council is facing £197million in outstanding debt after taking out an emergency £250million loan from the government during the pandemic.
