Qatar Museums Authority inaugurated MIA Park with unveiling of Richard Serra Sculpture

DOHA.- On December 15, in the presence of His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and more than 700 dignitaries and special guests, Qatar Museums Authority inaugurated the MIA Park, a new cultural destination on Doha’s Corniche. The inaugural ceremony included remarks by Qatar Museums Authority Chairperson Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and master sculptor Richard Serra, and Hughes de Courson’s The Magic Lutes was performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in a temporary [...]

Major exhibition by Cai Guo-Qiang opens at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

DOHA.- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art presents Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab, a major exhibition featuring newly commissioned work by Cai Guo-Qiang, one of the preeminent artists of our era. As Cai’s first solo exhibition in the Middle East and the first single-artist exhibition presented by Mathaf, Saraab opens new avenues of dialogue for the Arabian Gulf, as the region explores its historic and contemporary links across Asia. On view from December 5, 2011 through May 26, 2012, Saraab (“mirage” in Arabic) connects [...]

First British Portrait of a Black African Muslim and Freed Slave Goes on Display

LONDON.- The Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and the National Portrait Gallery, London announce a cooperative agreement relating to the portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, painted by William Hoare of Bath in 1733. Following the purchase of the work by QMA at Christie’s in November 2009, the painting was the subject of export restriction, having been judged by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art to be of outstanding importance to the history and culture of Britain. It was [...]

Qatar Museums Authority Announces Opening of New Arab Museum of Modern Art

DOHA, QATAR.- Conceived as a gathering place where questions are asked, ideas are explored and creativity is fostered, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will open to the public on December 30, 2010, in Doha, Qatar. Mathaf (pronounced Mat-haff, which means “museum” in Arabic) will present exhibitions and programs that explore modern Arab art. Its collection of more than 6,000 works represents major trends and sites of production of modern Arab art, spanning the 1840s to the present. In addition [...]

Qatar Museums Authority Unveils Jean Nouvel Design for New Museum

NEW YORK, NY.- Marking the next stage of its program to develop Qatar into a hub of culture and communications for the Gulf region and the world, the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) has announced its plans for the new National Museum of Qatar, as expressed in a striking and evocative design by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel. Embodying the pride and traditions of Qatar’s people while offering international visitors a dialogue about rapid change and modernization, the National Museum of [...]