Ana Ivanovic turns art connoisseur in Dubai

Ana Ivanovic turned into art connoisseur on her recent visit to Dubai as she admitted her passion for artistic expression.

As a Dubai Duty Free Ambassador, Ivanovic's role is to get the word out about some of Dubai's most popular tourist attractions through promotional video shoots.

This year, the DDF Full of Surprises Travel Show brought her to Al Fahidi Historic Neighbourhood in Old Dubai, a quiet getaway previously known as Al Bastakiya, Gulf News reported.

She barely paused to catch her breath between sentences, gesturing nonstop at her surroundings as she spoke.

After her exploratory jaunt, Ivanovic was taken to Majlis Gallery, a home-cum-art-exhibition with no ceiling to speak for, just a few sheets draped overhead to keep the sun from hitting guests too strongly.

She was introduced to artist Trevor Waugh, a UK-based fine artist who's been exhibiting his work in Dubai for over 20 years, and whose current exhibition showing both sides of the city - desert and nightlife - is on until mid-March.

It didn't take long for the two of them to veer off their scripted interactions as they wandered from painting to painting, getting into involved discussions about the secrets behind each piece, and the importance of letting inspiration run its course.

Ivanovic was vocal in her admiration of Waugh's soothing use of colour and dream-like techniques in his dusty, overcast oil paintings of sand dunes, dark skies and camels in the desert.