Taschen Books Joins The UAE Market If you're looking to making an investment in art, do consider taking a look at Taschen's art books.

Taschen has made a name for itself as a publishing house known for introducing works in art, design, history and fashion- developing tomes on everything from comics to literature to fine art. Taschen, with offices in Amsterdam, Beverly Hills, Brussels, Paris and more, has now added Dubai to the list of cities it is present in. Bringing Taschen to the UAE scene is Cities Boutique, a home design and accessories retail store featuring design and lifestyle products from around the world.

Related: The Cultural Emissary: Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder, Barjeel Art Foundation

The entrepreneur behind the publishing house is Benedikt Taschen, who, at 12 years old, ran a mail-order business from home using his own collection of comics, and at 18, opened his first store in Cologne, Germany, to sell comics (Vanity Fair).

Known for turning books into works of art, in 1999, he published Sumo, a 494-page, 66-pound collection of controversial fashion photographer Helmut Newton's works, which weighed so much it was designed with its own table by designer and architect Philippe Starck, and sold for US$1,500 as a limited edition at the time.

The limited edition sold out, with its value increasing over the years, with the book currently selling for $15,000 according to the Taschen website, which also features other books such as Ai Weiwei, a signed monograph of the artist's life and work selling at $15,000, and 965 Elephants, a signed book illustrating the works and diaries of history and wildlife photographer of Peter Beard priced at $18,000. Taschen books will be available in the UAE at Dubai Mall, and so, if you're looking to making an investment in art, do consider taking a look at Taschen's art books, too.

Related: Artistic Inclinations: MENA Platform Lets You Buy And Sell Fine Art Online