SPANNING THE GLOBE AND THE CENTURIES

Extraordinary Artworks and Artifacts from Qatar Museums’ Own Collections and
Important Loans from Around the World Are Presented at the Museum of Islamic Art,
National Museum of Qatar, Doha Fire Station and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

Qatar Museums today announced that it will present an ambitious array of exhibitions in spring 2020 at four of its institutions in the nation’s capital, offering the people of Qatar and visitors from around the world exceptional opportunities to enjoy artworks and artifacts that span centuries and the globe.

Drawn from the holdings of Qatar Museums along with major loans, the exhibitions present renowned treasures assembled over the years by two outstanding collectors in the Gulf region, survey the achievements of two important contemporary women artists of Arab background, and provide stunning insights into the creative life of one of the greatest artists of the modern era.

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, said, “These fascinating and remarkably diverse new exhibitions perfectly express the mission of Qatar Museums to serve the people of our nation while reaching out to the public everywhere. We strive to increase appreciation of the deep and varied artistic heritage of Qatar and its region, and at the same time provide opportunities to engage with manifold forms of contemporary culture here and around the world. It is a pleasure to welcome everyone to explore the wonders these exhibitions offer.”

The exhibitions are:

• A Falcon’s Eye: Tribute to Sheikh Saoud Al Thani at the Museum of Islamic Art (open to the public March 25, 2020 – January 02, 2021) celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of one of Qatar’ greatest collectors who was largely responsible for laying the foundation for Qatar Museum’s world class collections. The exhibition showcases more than 300 outstanding art works from prehistoric fossils and Egyptian antiquities to Orientalist paintings and masterpieces of the history of photography in a spectacular display following the concept of ancient (Renaissance) “cabinet of curiosities” reflecting Sheikh Saoud’s fascination with both natural history and the art world.
• Splendours of the Ancient East: Antiquities from the al-Sabah Collection at the National Museum of Qatar (March 26 – July 1, 2020): around 170 priceless objects in gold, silver, glass, and precious stones collected by Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Sheikha Hussa Al-Salem Al-Sabah of Kuwait, revealing the continuity of artistic themes and motifs from ancient Arabia and central Asia into the Islamic period.
• Yto Barrada: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nougat at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (March 24 – August 26, 2020): the first solo exhibition in the Gulf region of the remarkably varied and conceptually challenging work of Barrada (b. 1971) in photography, video, sculpture, and installation made between 2009-2019.
• Huguette Caland: Faces and Places at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (March 24 – August 26, 2020): an overview of four decades of the joyously sensuous paintings, drawings, sculptures, and clothing designs of Caland (1931-2019), including a selection of never-before exhibited drawings and the artist’s first caftan.
• Lived Forward: Art and Culture in Doha from 1960-2020 (March 24 – August 26): this exhibition looks at reference points of generations of artists, intellectuals and cultural activists who played a major role in activating the cultural scene in Doha for more than half a century. Making connections between art histories and the museum collection, the show presents the work of key artists and figures through the display of paintings, archival materials, photography, video, and installation that survey the development of modern and contemporary art and cultural practices in Qatar. Lived Forward is part of the series titled Focus: Works from Mathaf Collection. The show will focus on artists including: Saleh Taher, Faiq Hassan, Gazbia Sirry, Adam Henein, Ibrahim Al Salahi, Khalifa Al Qattan, Jassim Zaini, Dia Azzawi, Abdulwahid Al Mawlawi, Hassan Al Mulla, Youssef Ahmad, Wafika Sultan Al Essa, Faraj Daham, Mohammed Ali Abdulah, Saif Al Kuwari, Ali Hassan, Salman Al Malik, Hassan bin Mohammed Al Thani, Wafa Al Hamed, Aisha Al Misned, Sophia Al Maria, Bouthayna Al Muftah, Sara Al Obaidly.
• Picasso’s Studios at Fire Station Artist in Residence (March 15 – July 1, 2020): an exhibition that brings visitors imaginatively into the series of workspaces where Pablo Picasso achieved his creative breakthroughs, as seen through major artworks drawn from the collection of the Musée National Picasso in Paris. Picasso’s Studios is among the components of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two nations.

Beauty

The exhibitions will be on view during the annual #QatarCreates gathering in Doha, March 24 -27, in which distinguished international guests and Qatar’s leading artistic and cultural innovators mingle at exhibitions, events, and a variety of special activities. Further information on #QatarCreates will be announced at a later date. All six of the new Qatar Museums exhibitions will be open to the public into summer 2020, with A Falcon’s Eye exhibition remaining on view into the new year.