Behind an unassuming pair of steel gates in a suburban district of Bahrain lies Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa’s private studio.
A traditional Khaleeji-style villa is coupled with contemporary outhouses and a large garden, complete with swimming pool and putting green. The sheikh is warm and affable, welcoming guests with a wide smile.
He is in the middle of showing international art collectors the house, in which every inch of wall is covered with his works. They listen intently as he explains the progression of his four-decade art career, moving from realism to expressionism and then to his own abstract style, which he often paints on canvases that have been stretched into a convex shape, adding an extra dimension to the work.
Sheikh Rashid is a member of the Bahraini royal family, grandson of the former ruler, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
His work has been exhibited at several national platforms, including a large retrospective in the National Museum of Bahrain in 2010. He is also the founder of the Bahrain Arts Society.
His is a life of privilege that many might envy – but despite all the benefits and trappings a royal life offers, for an artist, he says, it has its shortcomings.
“It is a disadvantage,” he says. “Any success I have or improvements I make are always attributed to my royal status and I don’t believe that is fair. Although people do eventually identify whether a piece of art is good or not, it is still important to try do something about it.”
To redress the balance, Sheikh Rashid founded an initiative called Royal Bridges. With the help of Baron Henri Estrament from Belgium, a friend and adviser to the sheikh and other art dignitaries globally, he has joined forces with 15 other royal artists from around the world to encourage audiences to take them seriously as artists.
The project aims to shift the focus away from the sovereignty of the artists and onto their art.
“Our mission is for audiences to forget the artist’s backgrounds and to see their work as they would in any other gallery,” says Sheikh Rashid. “I believe that there are really good and seriously talented royal artists and they need to be treated like any other artist.”
Royal Bridges will debut next month in Dubai with an exhibition titled Convergence, featuring 16 pieces of art. Sheikh Rashid will exhibit an oil painting titled Together. "I love the tradition of the language of painting and want to keep that practice alive," he says. "For me, painting is a gentle way of looking, developing a vision and caring.
"Together is about friendship, gathering and celebration. In the centre of the painting are three oranges and a vase of vibrant flowers, while in the background is a scenario where figures are making irregular gestures and moving about – putting across the feeling of emotion."
The art will be on show in a one-day public exhibition at the Ritz- Carlton in Dubai’s International Financial Centre, and then sold off at an auction hosted by Christie’s Middle East, with the proceeds donated to the World Food Programme.
Other royals whose artworks feature in the exhibition include: Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani from Qatar; Saudi Arabian Princess Reem Al Faisal Al Saud, an accomplished photographer who also co-owns Dubai’s The Empty Quarter gallery; Rotislav Rotislavovich Romanov of Russia and Lelli de Orleans e Bragança of Brazil, who are descendants of former royal families; Princess Sophie of Romania; and Duchess Diane of Württemberg.
• Royal Bridges will be on show at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC from 10am to 4pm on November 30, followed by the charity auction and gala dinner from 7pm
aseaman@thenational.ae
