Hossein Hashempoor: Abdul Qader Al Rais; A Generous and Record-Breaking Painter

I first became acquainted with Master Abdulqader Al Rais, a renowned Emirati painter, through Christie's auction catalogs from 2007 to 2008 and beyond. At the time, my friends and I were flying from Tehran to Dubai for the Christie's Middle East Auction, which was held twice a year at the Emirates Towers Hotel in April and October to create reports...

IranArt : Hossein Hashempoor : I first became acquainted with Master Abdulqader Al Rais, a renowned Emirati painter, through Christie's auction catalogs from 2007 to 2008 and beyond. At the time, my friends and I were flying from Tehran to Dubai for the Christie's Middle East Auction, which was held twice a year at the Emirates Towers Hotel in April and October to create reports.

The nostalgic aura in Mr. Al Rais' paintings captivated me. His pieces on display at the Christie's show in Dubai were always more appealing than their photographs in the catalogue. The floating squares over his canvases served as his hallmark and linking connection. His work fell into two categories that were more appealing to the art market: pieces that recreate the social environment of the UAE from an architectural standpoint, which remains a human paradise, and, of course, abstract works with traces of Arabic calligraphy.

But attention was also drawn to the selling of Al Rais's paintings, which may sell for several times the original predicted price. For example, in April 2008, his three-panel artwork sold for a record $385,000, despite a Christie's estimate of between $150,000 and $250,000. Alternatively, in October 2016, the initial price of 199 thousand dollars was repeatedly pounded for his two-panel picture, which was valued between $80,000 and $100,000,000.

It wasn't until the 15th Abu Dhabi Art in 2023 that I had a close-up look at Mr. Al Rais. He was there with his son and daughter representing Etihad Modern Art Gallery. Unlike most individuals around these days, he was talkative and had a smile on his face. He was also quite friendly.

However, after seeing the master multiple times during gallery tours in Dubai, my admiration for him grew. In addition to encouraging young artists, he occasionally spends two or three hours at group exhibitions, conversing with each artist and reacting positively to requests for selfies or pictures in front of their artwork, as well as offering suggestions on how to improve their craft.

Abdul Qader Al Rais was born in 1951 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. His creations have been on show in sizable exhibitions across the globe and are housed in the treasuries of various significant museums in the area. In addition to numerous other accolades during his career, he has been the recipient of multiple important art awards from the UAE and the Arab world.

Al Rais participated at the 2015 Venice Biennale with 14 other Emirati artists, representing the United Arab Emirates during Hoor Al Qasimi's tenure as curator and commissioner of the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. It's interesting to note that during Dubai Art season that same year, some of his pieces were used to adorn metro vehicles in the city.

At the 17th edition of Art Dubai in 2024, this photograph was taken next to Master Al Rais in front of his wonderful piece in the Dubai Collection.

This short article serves as an occasion to view a few of his works of art.