For the eyes

The festival’s main focus is food and art. For those excited by the latter, there will be a display of works by local artists in the Porcini foyer, featuring 35 artists, covering paintings, ceramics and pottery. Fifteen artists are from the Qatar Fine Arts Society, with 10 from the Youth Creative Arts Centre, and 10 children from the Shafallah Centre. The students from the Youth Creative Arts Centre will have a chance to win a special art award, with members of Sotheby’s on the judging panel.

For the mind

Sotheby’s will be bringing its own contribution to Festival of the Senses, with two pieces from its Orientalist Exhibition, which will be auctioned in London in June. The paintings are by Austrian-born Rudolf Ernst, said to be one of the most sought-after Orientalist artists of the 19th century, with his work entitled ‘Cobbler in the Shade of a Tree’ (below), and Frederick Arthur Bridgman, with his work ‘In the Souk’. Both are expected to fetch anything from QR390,000-850,000 each at auction.