Culture & Education | Thursday 22 January, 2015 12:09 am |

UBS, the world’s leading wealth manager, has announced that it will partner with the Saudi Art Council to sponsor the 2015 edition of Jeddah Arts “21,39”, which will begin in Jeddah tomorrow. Now in its second year, Jeddah Arts “21,39” is a non-profit initiative organized by the Saudi Art Council, that contributes to the local community by fostering and promoting a culture of art in the city of Jeddah.

The event is built around three curated exhibitions, including: “Fast-Forward”, “Inner Voices” and “Tasami – A Different Show”, and a city-wide program featuring gallery openings, workshops and a series of talks and discussions that aim to build bridges with the outside world through the universal language of art. Last year’s edition featured 40 Saudi Arabian artists and welcomed over 15,000 visitors, including 6,000 students from 150 schools.

Jeddah Arts joins an extensive roster of contemporary art initiatives and programs across the world, actively supported by UBS. The UBS Art Collection, containing more than 35,000 objects, is one of the largest and most important corporate collections of contemporary art in the world.

“We are pleased to be participating in Jeddah Arts as sponsor of “21,39” and honored to be working with the Saudi Art Council and its Chair, HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majed bint Abdulaziz,” stated Ali Janoudi, UBS Group Head Middle East and North Africa. “As a longstanding supporter of global contemporary art initiatives, UBS believes that the art of today inspires and challenges us, while encouraging innovative thinking."

Mahmoud Abdulhadi, CEO of UBS Saudi Arabia added: "This collaboration furthers our commitment to contemporary artists in this region, building on our Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, which launched its final phase focused on art from the Middle East yesterday.”

In addition to the collaboration with Guggenheim UBS continues to provide long-term global support for the premier international Art Basel shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong, for which it serves as global Lead Partner. UBS also holds a number of regional partnerships with fine art institutions including the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, the Louisiana Museum in Denmark, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

UBS also provides its clients with insight into the contemporary art world through the new and free iPad app Planet Art (www.ubs.com/microsites/planet-art), the UBS Art Competence Center and the UBS Arts Forum. UBS’s long and substantial record of engagement in contemporary art actively enables clients and audiences to participate in the international conversation about art and the global art market.

UBS draws on its 150-year heritage to serve private, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Its business strategy is centered on its pre-eminent global wealth management businesses and its leading universal bank in Switzerland, complemented by its Global Asset Management business and its Investment Bank, with a focus on capital efficiency and businesses that offer a superior structural growth and profitability outlook.