Sheikh Khaled being briefed during his visit ot the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation in Saadiyat Cultural District on Friday. WAM

During the visit, Sheikh Khaled toured the gallery and explored the foundation’s artistic masterpieces, praising the distinguished 50-year cultural and literary career of Bassam Saeed Freiha, which Freiha dedicated to collecting rare paintings and artworks, underscoring his commitment to supporting the creative and cultural movement across various disciplines.

Sheikh Khaled highlighted the contribution of arts foundations in enriching the local cultural scene by providing a new platform through which to support and nurture emerging talent, inspire dialogue, and promote and foster arts education and public engagement with the arts.

Sheikh Khaled was accompanied by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Culture - Abu Dhabi; and Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

BFAF is a non-profit institution exhibiting a curated private collection of artworks and paintings from around the world. Its inaugural exhibition, Echoes of the Orient, features 25 works juxtaposed with 19th-century photography and works by renowned contemporary and modern Arab artists.

BFAF, which is free and open to the public, takes visitors on a journey through history, culture and creativity, through art galleries housed in a building designed by architect Rasha Gebran. BFAF neighbours cultural institutions the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Berklee Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Sheikh Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

WAM