Oleg Torbosov's lecture "Mecenaty" (Patrons of the Arts) in Dubai

This is a lecture evening in Dubai, part of a series called "Mecenaty" (Patrons of the Arts) presented by Oleg Torbosov. The series looks at the people who paid for art and made it possible, and this instalment is built around two men: Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov.

Both were Moscow textile merchants. Alongside their business careers they bought paintings by French artists whom most of their contemporaries regarded as eccentric, even mad. Shchukin was the first to put his faith in Matisse and Picasso, while Morozov, the more reserved and calculating of the pair, spent large sums on works by Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Each assembled a collection of world standing, and each lost it after the revolution.

The talk treats the subject as more than art history. It follows money, love, family tragedy, rivalry and courage, which is why it reads as a story about people as much as about pictures.

The evening takes place at the Theatre of Digital Art, known as ToDA, a venue in Dubai devoted to digital and multimedia art. It is a contemporary cultural space, a fitting setting for a conversation about collectors who backed the most daring painting of their day.

The format is a seated lecture, suited to anyone curious about art, history and the personalities behind great collections. No background in art is needed, since the story is told through the lives of the two merchants. The series is a recurring one, and this evening takes place on a Tuesday.