Credit Suisse launches its international "Art & Entrepreneurship" exhibition tour at Art Dubai 2008.

The exhibition features a new generation of 19 successful artists from around the globe, who aim to translate core entrepreneurial values into works of art. Following Dubai, the exceptional pieces will be presented in seven major global cities, the bank said in a statement.

The tour will conclude on November 24, with the auctioning of the artwork in London. One half of the proceeds will go to the contributing artists, the other half to the charitable organisation "Room to Read", it added.

Credit Suisse will showcase more than 40 works of 19 artists from 16 countries around the globe, who were tasked with translating the fundamentals of entrepreneurship into works of art. Participating artists focused on five core values of entrepreneurship, based on a Credit Suisse client survey: – Vision, Knowledge, Network, Family and Social Responsibility – to influence their pieces.

The results, which range from video installations to sculpture, mixed media art projects, oil paintings, watercolours and photography, highlight the risks and rewards of today’s contemporary art undertakings, and the confluence of art and entrepreneurship on a global scale.

All of the art will be exhibited as part of an international tour, which unites Credit Suisse’s entrepreneurial spirit, its long-standing tradition to innovate and its commitment to the arts.

"With the Middle East being one of the bank’s key growth markets, Credit Suisse is especially pleased to start the exhibition tour in Dubai, in homage to those who drive forward this region's prosperity: the entrepreneurs. Credit Suisse is honoured to host its exhibition as a part of Art Dubai, which has become a cornerstone for the rapidly growing art community of the Middle East," said Bruno Daher, Co-CEO of the Middle East and Head of Private Banking Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent.

John Martin, co-founder and director of Art Dubai said: "Launching the Credit Suisse ‘Art & Entrepreneurship’ global exhibition in the Middle East at Art Dubai 2008 highlights the diversity and truly global nature inherent in the current art market and positions Dubai as one of the most prestigious arts hubs in the wider Middle East and Asia region.

Dubai symbolises the entrepreneurial spirit and so it is particularly fitting that Credit Suisse has chosen the Fair to inaugurate its new exhibition. This week will see some of the world’s leading arts figures coming to Dubai for the Fair and they will all have the opportunity to preview these new works commissioned by Credit Suisse."

Visitors to "Art & Entrepreneurship" will experience a completely new perspective on entrepreneurship and a cross-section of contemporary art, with all of the exhibited works having been exclusively commissioned for this tour.

Following Dubai, the tour will move on to New York, Berlin, Moscow, Geneva, Milan, Madrid, and London with exhibitions in several reputable museums and galleries, such as the Chelsea Art Museum (New York), the Phillips de Pury Auction House (London) or the ewerk (Berlin).

During the exhibition tour, visitors are invited to place silent bids on their favorite pieces. On November 24, 2008, the tour will conclude in London with the auctioning of the featured artworks at the renowned Phillips de Pury & Company.

The silent bids will be recognised at this auction. 50 per cent of the proceeds will go to the artists; the other half to "Room to Read", a non-profit charitable organisation that provides educational access in developing countries, the bank said. – TradeArabia News Service