The Abu Dhabi Art International Patrons Committee is contributing the considerable talents of its individual members to the success of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Art. Committee members for 2009 include:

H.E. Dr Anwar Gargash, from Dubai, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Dr. Gargash studied in the US and UK, and received his doctorate at Kings College, Cambridge. He is an academic specialising in the politics and security of the Gulf, and owns a large collection of Middle Eastern Art.

Jeff Koons, from the USA, is known for his work which is brightly coloured, often very large and deliberately vulgar, is frequently called Neo-Pop. Recently a selection of his work was shown in the late 17th century rooms of the royal palace of Versailles.

H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, from Sharjah, Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development. Al Owais studied accountancy and information systems at UAE University and is on the board of Sharjah Islamic Bank and Emirates Real Estate Bank. He is known for his interest in Arab calligraphy and modern Arab visual arts.

François Pinault, from France, is the owner of the retail company PPR, which includes the Gucci fashion brand, and of Christie´s auction house. He is one of the world´s most active collectors; in 2006 he acquired the Palazzo Grassi in Venice to display his contemporary art.

Norman Foster, from the UK, is one of the world´s leading architects and a winner of the Pritzker Prize. When Germany was reunited in 1990, he was called upon to reconstruct the Reichstag parliament building in Berlin. Foster & Partners are building Masdar (in Abu Dhabi), the first city that will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources. He is also the architect for the Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island (opening in 2013).

Fabrice Bousteau, from France, is a Curator and editor-in-chief of Beaux Arts magazine. His "Art, Discussions and Sensations" programme will animate Abu Dhabi Art 2009.

Sudobh Gupta, from India, probably his country´s best known contemporary artist. He made his reputation building sculptures out of gleaming pots and pans, the most famous of which is A Very Hungry God, a one-tonne skull.

Anupam Poddar, from India, is a leading contemporary art collector. Along with his mother Lekha Poddar, he has set up the non-profit Devi Art Foundation in New Delhi; which displays the family´s extensive contemporary art collection from the Indian Sub-continent. He has also been actively involved with the development of Devi Garh - a restored all suite boutique hotel within an 18th century fort place, located outside the city of Udaipur (Rajasthan) India.

Peter Sloterdijk, from Germany, is a philosopher and professor of philosophy and aesthetics. He is well known to the wider German public from co-hosting the television series "In the Glass House: The Philosophical Quartet", devoted to the key issues affecting society today. His latest book is God´s Zeal: The Battle of the Three Monotheisms, about Christianity, Judaism and Islam.