Up a massive 31 places in this year’s Power 100, gallery owner Khaled Samawi is proof the blend can succeed. In 2006, Samawi threw in his job as a London banker to establish Ayyam, a 5,000 sq ft gallery displaying painting, sculpture and photography. Previously an amateur collector, it is no exaggeration to say that Samawi has gone on to put the Arab art scene on the global map.

As Damascus’ first major showcase for contemporary Syrian pieces, Ayyam has been credited with sparking a commercial art boom that saw prices soar by up to 1,000 percent. He is a vocal supporter of young Arab talent; both in showcasing new talent and offering well-priced art to new collectors.

In a financial crash that stripped the heartbeat out of the art world, Samawi has kept his gallery’s finances above water. Less than four years after its launch, Ayyam boasts sister galleries in Dubai and Beirut, and there are whispers of a fourth outpost in New York. Last year, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year at
Arabian Business

Achievement Awards.

“High-quality art will always get what it deserves if it is promoted properly,” he said. “Junk art will always end up on the scrap heap no matter how it is promoted.”