Deborah Najar

Co-Founder of the JPNF (Jean-Paul Najar Foundation), a museum for Contemporary Art located in Dubai. Among the first non-profits in the UAE, the JPNF came about as a partnership with Alserkal Avenue, from a desire to offer a diverse artistic experience, with strong emphasis on patronage, artist-collector archives and western abstraction. Nearly three years later, the JPNF team have welcomed over 30,000 visitors, curated 9 shows, published catalogues, and hosted rich public programs for all audiences, often in partnership with local and international institutions.
From 2011-2015, Deborah was the Middle East Representative for Bonhams, structuring two auctions a year as well as managing a diverse client portfolio across departments. From 2005 to 2011 she oversaw the development of De Beers Diamond Jewellers in the Middle East as founding Director and was later promoted GM. She sits on the board of the Gstaad New Year’s Music Festival, the Global Fine Arts Awards and heads up the Global Private Museum Network which regroups the stakeholders of some of the world’s largest private museums.
She is a graduate of the London School of Economics. She arrived in Dubai in 2004.