The artwork I would rob a bank for is: A work by Jordanian artist, Ali Jabri.
Artists I’d love to have lunch and dinner with: Salvador Dalí and Jackson Pollock.
Five prerequisites for survival in the art world: Patience, perseverance, pricing, publicity and reinvention.
Looking back at my career in the art world, I wish I had: Started collecting earlier.
In the art world, it’s never too late to: Declare that a popular artwork is rubbish.
The art world’s biggest crime is: Forcing ugly artworks in public spaces.
One of the art world’s greatest unsung heroes was: Prince Yusuf Kamal of Egypt, who founded the School of Fine Arts in Cairo in 1908.
If there is one era I would go back to, it would be: Impressionism.
You would be shocked to know that I: Don’t have a repertoire of my artworks.
If I had to summarise in one word, I would say that art is: Human.
I am happiest when: I feel that I’ve made a difference.
It makes me unhappy to know that: So many Arab artists are passing away without having their work recognised and documented.
The one that got away was: A 2005 49.9 x 70 cm digital photograph by Lamya Gargash Salim.
For inspiration, I go to: My library.
I owe my success to: My time in Paris.
The three things I look for in an artwork are: Story, composition and relevance to the region.
My best investment was: My university degree.
The exhibition that left a big impact on me was: Word into Art at DIFC.
I just don’t understand: How some art is priced.
The best piece of advice I was ever given was: Buy less, buy better.
This article was originally published in the March 16, 2010 edition of Canvas Daily Issue. A PDF of the article can be downloaded here.