NEW YORK & LONDON.- The Haughton Family are delighted to announce the launch of ART AND ANTIQUES DUBAI , an international fair devoted to the fine and decorative arts of all periods, at the Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai , from Thursday, February 21st through Sunday, February 24th, 2008. The Fair will be launched with the support and co-operation of the Government of Dubai�s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), which oversees tourist development in the emirate and promotes it worldwide as a tourism and commerce hub.

DTCM Director-General, Mr Khalid A. bin Sulayem, said: � Dubai is ideally placed to become a focal point for the most exciting art markets in the world. It offers significant advantages for galleries and collectors from across the world. Dubai is already home to prominent art galleries and the public response to art events is always overwhelming given the cosmopolitan culture. We hope the fair will play a positive role in encouraging art in the emirate and bringing art lovers from different parts of the world to Dubai . The DTCM has been promoting the Emirate�s heritage and culture to the outside world.�

The Dubai fair is the newest addition to the Haughton family stable of international art and antique events, which include four top-flight fairs in New York and one in London . Director Brian Haughton comments that �the fair is enormously exciting for the development of the international art market and, specifically, for Dubai and the Middle East region. We are grateful to the Government of Dubai for their great support for this project and admire the vision they have shown in positioning Dubai as the leading destination and as an important focus of international commerce.�

The Haughtons have worked over the past three decades to build an unparallelled group of art and antique fairs, which attract top international dealers, curators and collectors. Their fairs have consistently set the standard with superb quality and elegant presentation. Like all of the other Haughton fairs, the exhibitors expected to take part in ART AND ANTIQUES DUBAI represent the absolute best the world has to offer. International art dealers will be joined by leading dealers from the Middle East, North African and India . Collecting areas covered by ART AND ANTIQUES DUBAI are expected to include Islamic works of art; arms and armour; silver; antique and modern jewellery; a broad range of furniture and decorative arts and fine art, including Middle Eastern, Indian and Western paintings drawings and sculpture.

Madinat Jumeirah - The Arabian Resort of Dubai, is a magnificent tribute to Dubai 's heritage and is styled to resemble an ancient Arabian citadel. Luxurious and ornate, the resort combines the height of opulence with a strong sense of tradition. The resort includes two grand boutique hotels, courtyard summer houses, a traditional souk, Talise Spa, the region's leading conference and banqueting centre, unlimited recreational facilities and the superlative Quay Healthclub. Built around a large lagoon, the Madinat Arena, where ART AND ANTIQUES DUBAI will take place, is a state-of-the-art and purpose-built venue designed in the style of an old fortress and is within walking distance of some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.

The Haughton Family also organise The International Asian Art Fair (March), The International Fine Art Fair (May), The International Art + Design Fair (5-10 October, 2007) and The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show (19-25 October, 2007) in New York at The Park Avenue Armory, and The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar (14-17 June, 2007) in London.