The fire that broke out in Dubai’s luxury Address Downtown tower on New Year’s Eve in which at least 16 people were injured, has caused “extreme damage” to the French art dealer Stephane Custot’s office and residence, according to his press agent.
The dealer’s new 700 sq. m outpost, Custot Gallery Dubai, was scheduled to open on 18 January in the heart of the city’s new Alserkal Avenue arts district. The date has now been pushed back to 14 March and will coincide with the tenth edition of Art Dubai (16-19 March). According to a press statement, the date change “will benefit [the gallery’s] artists by giving them the very best exposure”.
The gallery’s opening exhibition, The World Meets Here, will feature works by artists including Robert Indiana, Pierre Soulages, Frank Stella and Zao Wou-Ki. Custot’s business partner Leslie Waddington with whom he ran London’s Waddington Custot Gallery died in November last year.