Art dealer Larry Gagosian in background left, purple tie, speaking on panel at Abu Dhabi Art in 2009. © Photo: Lindsay Pollock

Art dealer Larry Gagosian is doing all he can to bond with the Abu Dhabi power brokers. Last year he participated in a panel during the oil-rich country’s new Abu Dhabi Art Fair. (I attended the panel and blogged about it here.)

This year Gagosian is shipping his art collection to Abu Dhabi for a first-time public viewing. The show, RSTW (an acronym for its all male roster — Rauschenberg, Ruscha, Serra, Twombly, Warhol and Wool)  runs Sept. 22 to Jan. 24 and will be curated by Anne Baldassari, president of the Fondation Picasso. The show is being presented under the auspices of the country’s top honcho:  HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

The venue is a temporary exhibition space called the Manarat Al Saadiyat which last year displayed a group of Middle Eastern artwork. The building is located on Saadiyat Island, where new Louvre and Guggenheim museums are under construction,  along with thousands of luxury condos.

Works in the show include Rauschenberg’s 1963 Overdrive, Serra’s 1984 Malmo Roll, Warhol’s 1960 Brillo Soap Pads and 1972 Mao.