ArtReview’s 2024 Power 100 list reveals growing art world clout of the Middle East.

Today, ArtReview announced its annual Power100 list, the publication’s definitive roundup of the 100 most influential figures in the art world. This year, the list is topped by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, who rose from 36th place in 2023. The director of the Sharjah Biennial since 2003 and founder of the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2009, Al Qasimi has become a central figure in expanding the contemporary art scene in the Middle East. Her influence is increasingly extending beyond the Gulf, as she was appointed the artistic director of Aichi Triennale 2025 in Japan (its first non-Japanese director) and will be the curator of the Biennale of Sydney in 2026.

This year marks the 23rd edition of the list, selected by a 40-strong panel of leading (but anonymous) art world experts. Nominees are selected based on their activities over the past 12 months and their global impact in shaping contemporary art.

The growing influence of the Middle East on the art world is evident across the list. Al Qasimi appears alongside Palestinian curator Reem Fadda—now ranked 56, up from 57—in her role as Abu Dhabi’s head of cultural programming. Beyond the United Arab Emirates, the 2024 list also includes Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums and sister of the ruling emir of Qatar, who is this year back on the list at 21 (in 2013, she was ranked first, but didn’t feature on 2023’s list). Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, debuts on the Power100 at 41.

The most influential gallerist, according to this year’s Power100, is the trio behind Hauser & Wirth—Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Marc Payot, the presidents of Hauser & Wirth—who together ranked 28, down from 14 last year. Gallerists, in general, have seen their rankings decline across the board: Larry Gagosian at 35, down from 12 last year; David Zwirner at 38, down from 19 last year; Emmanuel Perrotin at 42, down from 23 last year; and Monika Sprüth & Philomene Magers at 49, down from 25 last year. That said, the couple behind kurimanzutto, José Kuri and Mónica Manzutto, jumped from 80 in 2023 to 69 in 2024.

The top 10 of the Power100 list is dominated by artists. Rirkrit Tiravanija, known for his participatory, often food-based artworks, claimed the number two spot. Other artists in the top 10 are as follows:

• Artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen at 4, up from 8 in 2023.
• Egyptian artist Wael Shawky at 6, after not being featured on the list last year.
• Photographer Nan Goldin at 7, down from the top spot in 2023.
• American artist Kerry James Marshall at 8, after not being featured on the list last year.
• Ghanaian British artist John Akomfrah at 10, up from 33 last year.