Artist Pension Trust® Launches Trust for Middle East

The Artist Pension Trust® (APT), a global financial services firm dedicated to artists, have launched APT Dubai. APT Dubai is a Trust allowing emerging and mid-career artists that either work and live in the Middle East and its surrounding region including North Africa and Turkey or are of Middle Eastern descent access to APT’s financial planning program.

The program, which is globally patented, is centered on the long-terminvestment of the participating artists’ works. APT is unique as it allows participating artists to invest into their own commercial future as well as that of other selected artists, with their very own artworks.

To date more than 700 select artists have joined. With more than 1200 artworks in storage and committed, APT represents the world’s largest and fastest growing art collection of emerging to mid-career artists. November Paynter, Director of APT Dubai, comments: “This region is rich in unique artistic talent but many of these artists find it difficult toconnect to other global art centers. This trust is positioned to build the most important collection of art from the Middle East and its surroundingregion in the world. In the next five to ten years collecting institutions will be looking for important works from the past decade and we will beable to provide the most comprehensive resource by the contemporary scene.”

Vasif Kortun, APT Dubai Curatorial Committee member, adds: "In a region where there are few collecting institutions, or galleries committed toforging long term relationships with artists, APT Dubai will provide aninvaluable form of support for many outstanding artists, both in terms ofcreating a structure and in proposing a new form of economy dedicated tosupporting artists." Bijan Khezri, CEO and President of APT Holding notes: "The Middle East isemerging as one of the most promising new forces in contemporary art. Whilst Dubai is non-existent in terms of an internationally recognized native art scene, we strongly believe that Dubai is very likely to emerge as the center for Middle Eastern contemporary art. Dubai is more than a gateway to the region.

Dubai is uniquely positioned to emerge as the world’s meeting point of contemporary art from East and West."Since its inception in 2003, APT has built one of the biggest and fastest growing global collections of contemporary art. Selecting tomorrow’simportant and long-term relevant artists and their respective artworks isthe foundation of Artist Pension Trust®. APT artists continue to benominated and win the contemporary art world’s most prestigious awards. Our artists are constantly selected for the world’s leading survey exhibitions and biennials. Therefore, APT provides a unique platform for select Middle Eastern artists to engage with the international art community.

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