UAE Buys Local Art, David Zwirner Offers Platform, Museums Donate Supplies Amid COVID-19

The UAE government purchased AED1.5 million worth of local art following Art Dubai's postponement, with works to be displayed digitally via Alserkal Avenue before distribution to Emirati embassies worldwide. Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh emphasized solidarity with artists after numerous event cancellations. David Zwirner launched Platform, providing free digital space without commission to 12 smaller galleries including 47 Canal, Bridget Donahue, and Queer Thoughts, with plans for a UK equivalent. Museums across Europe and America donated protective equipment like gloves and masks to healthcare services; the Stedelijk Museum, Van Gogh Museum, and British Museum were among participants, while the Dallas Museum of Art contributed 10,000 nitrile gloves. Juan Uslé won the 2020 Fondation Guerlain Drawing Prize, receiving €15,000 and inclusion in the Musée National d'Art Moderne collection, though an exhibition with runners-up Callum Innes and Florian Pumhösl was cancelled. Frieze New York organizers shifted to online viewing rooms after cancellation, offering galleries refunds or 2021 placements, while the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, curated by Jane and Louise Wilson, was rescheduled for autumn. June Art Fair postponed to September alongside Art Basel and Liste.