The intellectual mystique behind collecting the Indian and Islamic Arts—and the global events that will bring you up to speed. by Skylar Pinchal Coysh - a writer who focuses on historic homes, the history of the decorative arts, and stories of heritage and craftsmanship. Look at any interiors publication right now, you’d be hard pressed to find a house that doesn’t have some sort of Eastern influence. Indian block prints, Uzbek suzanis, Turkish iznik, and Iranian Rayy ware can be found in even the most traditional of settings. So, what can we gather from this? What does having a bit of genuine Indian or Islamic art in one’s home say about them? Alice Bailey, the head of the Indian and Islamic Arts department at Roseberys, answers these questions for us and tells us what to look out for. Indian and Islamic works of art are more than recognizable instances of beauty. “It’s an intellectual thing. There’s a lot that you would have to know already, in order to know exactly what you’re seeing,” says Bailey. There’s a strong element of ‘if you know, you know’. In a world where status-seeking trends like “old money aesthetic” and “quiet luxury” have been all the chatter, there’s been a bit of a movement to define just what luxury is. Some would say it’s a designer cashmere throw, or perhaps a name brand piece of furniture, but is something truly luxurious if it can simply be bought, or worse, “duped” on Amazon?  When it comes to interiors, this follow-the-trends mindset results in spaces that look like everyone else’s. There’s been a large interest in home libraries; as just one glance at someone’s shelves can act as a biography of the homeowner, or at least a glimpse into what they know, what they care about, and where they’ve been. Knowledge, experiences, and simply being cultured have become displays of luxury and sophistication, and that’s what we are seeing with the rise and use of Indian and Islamic art. Of course, as with all artforms, there’s certainly an element of inherent beauty one can recognize without any sort of in-depth education on the matter. However, for the true collector, “It’s not just a surface appreciation,” says Bailey regarding top collectors of Indian and Islamic art, “it’s deep.” One may be enamoured by the sheer intricacy of calligraphy, yet, as shown at the recent exhibition Nja Mahdaoui: The Choreographer of Letters at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, those who have taken the time to delve deeper will understand its profound spiritual and cultural significance. Nja Mahdaoui: The Choreographer of Letters Exhibition at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, held concurrently with Abu Dhabi Art. Photo by Michalina Franasik “There has always been a level of person who appreciated these things,” says Bailey, “and it used to be those who had the money to travel to the Middle East and write books.” She’s talking about highly educated dignitaries, diplomats, and wealthy participants of the Grand Tour. Just like with our travels today, they would take things back with them—objects and ideas—and implement them within their own spaces. “There’s a history since the 19th century of Europeans conducting research and archeological digs, as well; think of someone like Lord Leighton decorating his home with amazing tiles,” Bailey continues. Leighton House   Photos by Michalina Franasik  Today, the Indian and Islamic art worlds are providing ample opportunities to include as many people as possible. 2025 alone has certainly seen its fair share of art event success. Attracting over 1.8 million visitors, the Bukhara Biennial—the first of its kind in Uzbekistan—highlighted Bukhara’s history of craft and global collaboration. Smaller fairs such as Jodhpur Arts Week showcased local spirit and the mundane; inviting art tourists and locals alike to see how even the most everyday elements of Indian life from marketplace bowls to chaotic streets could be viewed as works of art in and of themselves. Then, there was the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, part of Saudi Vision 2030—Saudi Arabia’s plan to increase international tourism and investment. Possibly one of the most celebrated events within the Indian and Islamic arts world. On the more commercial side, Abu Dhabi Art, set to become Frieze next year, brought together a wide range of contemporary galleries, alongside several specialising in Oriental and Islamic art, such as Kent Antiques and Galerie Ary Jan. Both galleries presented their collections at the Treasure House Fair 2025, showing that one doesn’t need to travel abroad to encounter and engage with cultures and artistic traditions far removed from one’s own. In addition, more museums around the world in people’s own backyards have highlighted Indian and the Islamic arts this year, such as the V&A with its exhibition The Great Mughals, The British Museum’s Sufi Life and Art, and the National Museum of Korea’s first ever exhibition of Islamic Art and Culture. Grand, small, local, or abroad; these are all instances of diplomacy through art, inviting people to both see and learn about artforms and cultures they might never have been able to experience otherwise. Islamic Arts Biennale 2025, Jeddah and Kent Antiques stand from Treasure House Fair 2025 So, now we’ve sort of gone full circle. We’re tapping into that element of ‘if you know, you know’ once again, but in a more accessible way. “On the Indian side of things—whether it’s antiques, Mughal pieces, manuscripts, or contemporary art—that’s the real area where we are seeing a massive boom,” says Bailey. “Artists that maybe hadn’t been so recognized before, are suddenly coming into their own and being sought after by collectors who are seeing Indian contemporary art as a way to invest for the future,” she continues, “and we’re seeing more from artists like Gaganendranath Tagore, Somnath Hore, Krishen Khanna, and Francis Newton Souza—in fact, we sold a Souza in the last sale for £340,000.” A similar piece, Bailey informs us, sold for £10,606 at Christie’s New York in 2003, and an even larger piece just a year before sold for a mere £5,000.  Gaganandranath Tagore, Indian 1867-1938,  Untitled; Worshipping Courtesy of Rosebery’s While the Indian side of the market is taking off in all categories, the Islamic side is finding a new identity. “Like antiquities, the Islamic arts are struggling a bit with the new provenance laws,” shares Bailey. However, that’s not stopping the market within the UK altogether. “Anything 19th century—anything that doesn’t have an issue around it—is fantastic,” she adds, “that’s now the new market for the Islamic arts.” Islamic and Indian art are deeply geopolitical and highly dependent on location, according to Mehmet Keskiner, who was recently interviewed by Cyrus Naji for The Art Newspaper. A dealer specialising in Islamic and Iranian art, Keskiner notes that due to sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, such works cannot be legally exported to the US or the UAE. He also points out that younger generations tend to be more drawn to contemporary rather than classical art: a shift that is reshaping how Indian and Islamic art are perceived today. In the realm of interior design, however, this aesthetic wave appears to be reaching its peak. Textiles like suzanis and Deccani bedspreads, objects like Qajar tiles, and revival wares, such as enameled glass and inlaid brassware from Egypt and Syria are all especially sought after, Bailey explains. This has ultimately fueled the taste for Indian and Islamic-inspired textiles and objects now being produced by our favorite Chelsea design stores—the likes of Robert Kime, Soane Britain, and Guy Goodfellow. With plenty of events and exhibitions focussed on Indian and Islamic art around the world coming up in 2026, from Delhi to Riyadh, London to Doha, there are a myriad of ways to explore the art, culture and intricacies of India and the Islamic world. The Arabic proverb “Saying ‘I don’t know’ is half of knowledge” feels powerful and relevant; why not find the other half by falling in love with a new-to-you artform in a new-to-you culture?

By Oscar Sika Huang 黄子文 - France-based art advisor and gallerist Photography, as the youngest of all major art forms, is paradoxically the one that has most profoundly reshaped the entire history of art. When it first appeared in the nineteenth century, photography liberated painting from the burden of representation and gave rise to artistic movements that would have been unthinkable without it, such as Impressionism, Symbolism, and later, Abstraction. Beyond documentation, photography laid the foundation for digital and moving-image arts, becoming the starting point for cinema,  video, and contemporary multimedia installations. Having worked for several years in the French art market, I have come to understand that France holds a special affection for photography. Paris Photo, founded in 1997, is one of the earliest and now the most influential photography fairs in the world. It has established the international standard that photography can stand alongside painting and sculpture as a fully recognized collectable art form. Each November, Paris transforms into a citywide celebration of photography, from galleries and museums to independent spaces. In October, during Art Basel Paris, immediately following London’s autumn art season, the city becomes immersed in a parallel celebration of contemporary art in all its forms. These months saturate the European art scene and set the tone for the following season globally. Boden Sea, Uttwil (1993) © Hiroshi Sugimoto At Art Basel Paris, photography has been taking an increasingly visible and respected position. This year, while many galleries chose to play it safe with blue-chip names, there was a notable presence of photographic works. Kandis Williams’s exhibition at Galerie Heidi, JR at Perrotin, Linder at Andréhn‑Schiptjenko and Hiroshi Sugimoto at Lisson Gallery all presented different ways of engaging with the photographic image. Several leading American galleries, such as 47 Canal, Document, Tanya Bonakdar, Marian Goodman, and Paula Cooper, also showcased artists who treat photography as both subject and concept. Masters and emerging photographers appeared side by side, showing that photography now speaks fluently within the broader language of contemporary art.  Candombe Africano via Jitterbug to Virginia Georgia Mississippi Bouquet (2020) © Kandis Williams Yet the energy of Paris Photo remains distinct. The fair is entirely devoted to photography in all its forms, from fine art prints to photobooks, film, and digital experimentation. I still recall the 2024 edition, when filmmaker Jim Jarmusch gave an inspiring talk about the dialogue between still and moving images. Across the city, numerous satellite events explored the intersections of photography, film, and installation. Artists such as Thomas Devaux from Galerie Bacqueville, who merges photography with painting and installation, Yang Yongliang from Paris-B, who combines traditional Chinese landscape aesthetics with digital cityscapes, Sun Yanchu from Zeto Art, who uses photo chemical materials in painterly compositions, and Laurent Lafolie from Galerie Binome, who transforms photographs into laser engraved reliefs to address ecological issues, all demonstrate how photography continues to reinvent its boundaries. Sleepless Wonderland (2012) © Yang Yongliang | Courtesy Paris-B From Paris to New York, from London to Shanghai, Amsterdam to Milan, the rise of photography-dedicated fairs reflects a growing global awareness. Photography has become not merely a medium, but a language through which artists from different cultures and backgrounds reinterpret the world. Just as it once revolutionised the history of painting, photography today reshapes the future of art. It expands across disciplines, inspires new forms, and continues to evolve in a spiral movement, offering us ever more fascinating ways of seeing and understanding our time.  

By Julia Haney Montañez - London-based design journalist and founder of The Design Release The collectable design world, fueled by rarity and provocation, seems to be entering a new phase in which comfort is no longer seen as a compromise. At Design Miami Paris and PAD London, even the most conceptual presentations looked distinctly more inhabitable. The preview of Design Miami Paris drew an impressive turnout, with many well-known collectors among the first to arrive. The third edition of this new flagship took place during Art Basel Paris at Karl Lagerfeld’s former home – a massive 18th-century hôtel particulier. The in-situ format remains the fair’s defining strength, placing ultra-contemporary furniture within a Rococo setting that perhaps some collectors could imagine translating into their own environments. Galerie Mitterrand at Design Miami Paris 2025 Image courtesy of Galerie Mitterrand  Elegant metals, expressive ceramics, and fantastical sculptures brought playfulness to the historic setting. Rooms were impeccably arranged, with some galleries showcasing smaller pieces in vitrines. Patrick Parrish Gallery presented a memorable arrangement of 150 charming brass objects by Viennese designer Carl Auböck. The installation was refreshingly informal, and offered a rare “cash-and-carry” spirit within the otherwise pricey fair. Patrick Parrish at Design Miami Paris 2025 Image credit - Ivan Erofeev   Carpenters Workshop Gallery presented one of the strongest installations, pairing Wendell Castle seating with oversized lighting by Léa Mestres, organic lamps by Nacho Carbonell, and collector favourite Bélier by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. An assembly that I felt was perfectly indicative of what new and seasoned collectors are looking for. Gallery Mitterrand also featured the Lalannes, showing collaborative and solo works spanning the late 1960s through 2015, and introducing jewellery designed by their granddaughter, Julie Hamisky. Galerie Mitterrand work by Julie Hamisky Image Creidt - Julia Haney Montanez For all its grandeur, what stood out most at Design Miami Paris was how grounded the work felt. Even within its Rococo setting, the emphasis was on tactility, something I also noticed the previous week in London, where PAD opened during the city’s buzzy autumn art week. PAD’s high level of curation and polish, even in its purpose-built tent, makes it one of the more enjoyable events of the season. Speaking with several dealers as I walked through the fair, I noted a few common threads, particularly around shifting collector behaviour and the renewed appetite for liveability. Carpenters Workshop Gallery at Design Miami Paris 2025 Image credit - Ivan Erofeev Sebastian Holt, director of the London and Stockholm-based Modernity Gallery, described this year’s edition as “relationship-driven.” Most of their visitors, he said, were returning clients who already knew the gallery and came with clear intentions. “It was handy that we brought warm, comfortable pieces,” Holt noted. “There was far more interest in seating than in purely sculptural works. The Valet chair usually draws attention, but this year it was the sofas and daybeds – pieces people can actually live with. Upholstered, comfortable furniture, and warm leather seem to be what people are leaning toward. Collectable liveability might be the answer right now.”  Curious to hear more about emerging collector preferences, I spoke with Krista van Oudheusden, owner of AtKris Studio and exhibitor at Treasure House Fair 2025. Collecting, she told us, is no longer shaped by the gravitational pull of “what everyone else wants.” A younger generation is stepping in, bringing new priorities: authenticity, narrative, and transparency. Provenance and pricing are no longer backstage topics; they’ve become part of the buying experience itself. She also noted a move toward individuality within historical styles. Renewed interest in Art Deco, which was apparent at both fairs, reflects a desire for craftsmanship. Within that, Krista sees opportunity: Dutch interpretations of the style, like the Amsterdam and Hague Schools, remain relatively undervalued compared to their French counterparts. Even as tastes evolve, some principles stay constant. Provenance and storytelling, Krista emphasized, continue to define lasting value. In a market clouded by reproductions, documentation has become essential. Across the fairs, it seems as though comfort and craftsmanship have reemerged as the true measures of value. After recent years of treating furniture like sculpture, perhaps the most radical gesture is simply wanting to live with it.