- Art
- Autumn/Winter 2026-27
- October
How to make a museum nation
A museum nation is not made by museums alone. As Qatar Museums celebrates 20 years – following its foundation by His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani – we explore 20 ideas that have transformed the way Qatar creates and nurtures its dynamic cultural landscape
Cover image: His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1952-2026), who established Qatar Museums in 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums
Much of the cultural landscape that now defines Qatar was built within a single generation – and today, the country is home to world-class museums and galleries, arts institutions, archaeological sites and ambitious creative hubs. Monumental artworks rise from the desert and others greet travellers at the airport.
Twenty years ago, much of this creative ecosystem was yet to be realised. The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) was still a construction site; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art had yet to open; Doha’s old Civil Defence building was still an actual fire station; there was no giant yellow bear at Hamad International Airport, no Richard Serra cutting across the desert at Brouq, no M7, no Design Doha, and the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) had yet to be transformed by Jean Nouvel. The country’s next major museums – including the future Art Mill Museum, which will span nearly one million square feet – had not yet been imagined.
So how do you transform a country into a museum nation? There’s no single blueprint, but for Qatar it actually began 50 years ago, with the opening of the NMoQ in 1975 – one of the first national museums in the region. “For more than half a century our nation has been committed to culture as a catalyst for dialogue, bridging the gaps between people and cultivating local and regional talent to present on the world’s stages,” says Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, Qatar Museums’ CEO.
Qatar Museums (QM) was then established in 2005 under His Highness The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1952-2026), and has steadily expanded the idea of what a cultural institution can be – collecting and preserving, but also commissioning, educating, producing, supporting and creating spaces for culture to become a part of everyday life. As QM celebrates its 20th anniversary, we take a look at 20 ideas that helped transform Qatar into a museum nation.
1
Start with what you have
The history of QM stretches back much further than 2005. The Qatar National Museum, which became NMoQ, was established in 1975 inside the palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani; in the 1990s, Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani began the collection that would inspire the Lusail Museum; and plans for MIA were underway by 1997. When Qatar Museums Authority – which became QM – was founded in 2005 under Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, it brought together all these strands and more, giving existing cultural ambition the structure to become something much bigger. The core collections were also assessed and expanded to create narratives relevant to Qatar’s history and future.
2
Think beyond museums
QM is about more than world-class museums. Today it encompasses public art, exhibitions, biennials, a quadrennial, educational programmes and creative hubs – such as the Doha Film Institute, Fire Station, M7 and Liwan Design Studios and Labs – that support artists and designers, residencies, heritage conservation and research. Together, this forms a cultural ecosystem in which preserving the past, supporting new creative work and bringing culture into public life is all part of the same ambition.
3
Build with ambition
QM has worked with some of the world’s most influential architects to give physical form to its cultural ambitions. IM Pei famously came out of retirement to design MIA; Jean Nouvel created the desert rose-inspired NMoQ; and Herzog & de Meuron, Elemental and OMA are behind the future Lusail, Art Mill and Qatar Auto museums. The result is institutions that define Qatar’s urban landscape as much as its cultural identity.
4
But don’t overlook existing spaces
When Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art opened in 2010, it found a home in a renovated school building in Education City. Wassan Al-Khudhairi had been appointed founding director in 2007 and helped shape the institution and its curatorial vision ahead of its launch. The building may have been adapted, but its ambition was clear: a new home for Arab art in the region.
5
Give more old buildings new jobs
The kind of adaptive reuse that saw a former school become Mathaf has played an important role in Doha’s cultural transformation. In 2015, the city’s 1982 Civil Defence building reopened as Fire Station, while Liwan Design Studios and Labs now occupies the restored mid-century building that once housed Qatar’s first girls’ school. Qatar Preparatory School, a landmark of 1960s educational architecture, has similarly been reactivated as a QM venue, hosting Rem Koolhaas and AMO’s Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave, and is currently being developed as a future educational hub for the creative industries.
6
Make art part of everyday life
QM has developed one of the most ambitious public art programmes in the world, bringing work by Qatari, regional and international artists into public spaces such as airports, hospitals, metro stations, stadiums and shopping areas. In 2022 alone, QM installed more than 40 new works across Doha; by 2023, there were around 146 public artworks, and the programme has continued to grow. Contemporary art is now part of the everyday experience of Qatar, rather than something to be sought out only inside museums and galleries.
7
Create talking points
QM has long understood that some of the best commissions don’t play it safe. Damien Hirst’s The Miraculous Journey, 2005-13, a series of 14 monumental bronzes charting human development from conception to birth, was unveiled outside Sidra Medicine in 2013, while Jeff Koons’ first Gulf exhibition, Lost in America, brought more than 60 works to Alriwaq in 2021. These kinds of bold commissions and exhibitions show how art can provoke curiosity and conversation – and drive engagement beyond the art world.
8
Bring the world together
Major cultural events have made Doha an important meeting point for the international creative community. Qatar Creates Week brings exhibitions, openings, talks and events together across the city, while Design Doha draws designers and cultural leaders from the region and beyond. Art Basel Qatar adds another major international gathering, bringing galleries, artists, collectors and curators to the city. Together, these events create opportunities for exchange, conversation and new connections across disciplines and borders.
9
Invest in people
Buildings and collections need people with ideas. QM has brought leading curators and museum directors to Doha, from Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Mathaf’s founding director and now artistic director of Art Basel Qatar 2027, to current Mathaf director Zeina Arida, formerly director of Beirut’s Sursock Museum. Julia Gonnella joined QM from Berlin’s Museum of Islamic Art to lead MIA and now heads the future Lusail Museum, while longtime MIA curator Shaika Nasser Al Nassr has stepped up to direct the institution.
The Bu’ed Nadhar exhibition at Liwan showcases the work of designers from the residency programme. Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums
10
Back the next generation
A cultural ecosystem also needs new talent. Fire Station’s Artist in Residence programme has supported emerging Qatar-based artists with studio space, production support, mentorship and curatorial guidance, and has since evolved into the Artists Intensive Study Programme. Creative hub M7 provides a similar platform for emerging designers and creative entrepreneurs, while QM’s open calls, internships and educational programmes create further routes into the cultural sector.
11
Develop cultural dialogues
Launched with Qatar Japan 2012 and now in its 15th edition with Qatar Canada Mexico 2026, QM’s Years of Culture programme builds connections between Qatar and the world. Each partnership encompasses exhibitions, performances, residencies, workshops and community projects spanning art, design, film, food, sport and more.
12
Collaborate with the best
Partnerships with leading cultural institutions have extended the international reach of QM’s programme. Long-term collaborations with The Met in New York and the V&A in London encompass exhibitions, programmes and scholarly exchange; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) partnered with QM on the Dan Flavin / Donald Judd: Doha exhibition in 2024; while Shanghai’s Yuz Museum hosted Watering the Desert in 2023, the first large-scale exhibition of contemporary art from Qatar in China. More recently, QM worked with M+ in Hong Kong to bring its major IM Pei retrospective to Doha.
13
Keep the past in the picture
Looking forward means understanding what came before. QM’s ambitions for the future sit alongside a commitment to preserving the country’s past. Through archaeological research, conservation and the protection of historic sites, that history remains part of Qatar’s evolving cultural identity. At Al Zubarah, QM worked with the University of Copenhagen to excavate and conserve the 18th-century coastal town, which was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2013.
14
Localise the global
Major international exhibitions have been an important part of QM’s programme from the very beginning. Over the past two decades, QM has brought solo exhibitions from international art world stars such as Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Olafur Eliasson and many more to the Gulf for the first time, and hosted exhibitions from some of the biggest names in fashion, from Dior and Hermès to Virgil Abloh and Erdem. These blockbuster exhibitions have not only introduced new work from across the world to the region, but have become a major draw for visitors to Qatar.
15
Celebrate the region
As well as bringing major international names to Doha, QM has consistently given artists and designers from the region a major platform. Mathaf puts modern and contemporary Arab art at the heart of its collection; a 2016 retrospective of Iraqi artist Dia Al Azzawi brought together more than 400 works; and the Design Doha Biennial showcases designers from across the region. NMoQ puts the country’s history and culture centre stage, through artefacts, oral histories, music, film and art.
16
Build creative industries at home
Supporting creativity means creating the infrastructure for it to become a local industry – and many of the institutions founded by QM are set up to both nurture talent and support professional development. Founded in 2010, the Doha Film Institute set out to build a film sector in Qatar while supporting storytellers from across the region through funding, training and development programmes. Creative hub M7 applies a similar approach to fashion, design and technology, helping local creatives develop ideas into viable businesses. Together with initiatives including Liwan for design, Fire Station for art and Tasweer for photography, they are helping turn creative practice into a sustainable and meaningful part of Qatar’s economy.
Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums
17
Curate collections that tell stories
QM is defined by extraordinary collections that span centuries, continents and disciplines. MIA holds Islamic art from across more than 1,400 years, while Mathaf has built one of the world’s largest collections of modern Arab art. NMoQ brings together artefacts, oral histories, film and art, and the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum collects objects that trace sporting history. The collections continue to grow: the future Lusail Museum is built around the world’s largest collection of Orientalist paintings, while the Art Mill Museum will house an international collection of modern and contemporary art assembled over four decades.
18
Make museums for everyone
A museum nation is nothing without an engaged and diverse audience, and QM is dedicated to introducing art, culture and heritage to people of all ages through school visits, teacher training and family programmes at many of its museums. The soon-to-open Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar will use play and experimentation to create a museum experience for children up to the age of 11. Even before its permanent home opens, its Museum in Residence programme is already taking playful learning directly into classrooms across Qatar.
19
Globalise the local
QM’s ambitions are not only about bringing the world to Doha. Fire Station’s residency programme has sent Qatar-based artists to Paris and New York; Design Doha and Years of Culture both feature established international exchange programmes; Watering the Desert brought the work of 37 Qatari and Qatar-based creatives to Shanghai; and Building a Creative Nation in 2023 presented QM’s future museums at the Venice Biennale.
20
Always look to the future
Twenty years after it was founded, QM is still adding to Qatar’s cultural landscape. Future projects include Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, the Lusail Museum, Qatar Auto Museum and the upcoming Art Mill Museum on the site of a former flour mill. A museum nation is, after all, never finished.
2005
Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums Qatar Museums Authority is founded
Construction begins on the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), designed by IM Pei
2006
Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani’s collection of Orientalist art inspires the vision for the Lusail Museum, which is set to open in 2029
2007
Photo: Iain Masterton/Alamy Planning begins for Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Wassan Al-Khudhairi is appointed inaugural chief curator and later director
2008
Photo: Courtesy of Museum of Islamic Art MIA opens. Its collection spans 1,400 years of Islamic art and civilisation
2009
Photo: Foto Arabia QM launches the Qatar Islamic Archaeology and Heritage Project to excavate Al Zubarah
The first edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival takes place
2010
Artwork © 2026 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London. Courtesy of Museum of Islamic Art Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art opens
QM Gallery Alriwaq opens next to MIA
The Doha Film Institute launches
2011
Artwork © 2026 Estate of Richard Serra / DACS Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums Richard Serra’s 7, 2011, is installed at MIA Park – the artist’s first public commission from QM
2012
Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 2019. Photo: Iwan Baan The Qatar Japan Year of Culture marks the first edition of an ambitious new cultural programme
Conscious Unconscious, the first solo exhibition by Louise Bourgeois in the Middle East, opens at Katara, including more than 32 works
2013
Artwork © 2026 Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS. Photo Iwan Baan, courtesy of Qatar Museums The Miraculous Journey, 2005-13, by Damien Hirst is unveiled outside Sidra Medicine. This coincides with Relics, a solo exhibition of Hirst’s work at Alriwaq, staged as part of the Qatar UK Year of Culture
The archaeological site of Al Zubarah is added to the Unesco World Heritage List
2014
Artwork © 2026 Estate of Richard Serra. Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums East-West/West-East, 2014, by Richard Serra is installed in the Brouq Nature Reserve. The four steel plates rise more than 14m high and stand at intervals across a 1km site
Untitled (Lamp/Bear), 2014, a 7m-tall, canary yellow bear by Urs Fischer, is unveiled at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
The monumental work, which is cast in solid bronze, weighs 15,875kg
2015
Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums The Fire Station creative hub opens in a repurposed 1982 Civil Defence building
2016
Artwork © 2026 Dia Azzawi. All Rights Reserved, DACS. Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums A major retrospective of the pioneering Iraqi artist Dia Al Azzawi opens under the title I Am the Cry, Who Will Give Voice to Me?
2017
Photo: Gerry Kellermann Julia Gonnella is appointed director of MIA
The Driven by German Design exhibition, part of the Qatar-Germany Year of Culture, opens at Alriwaq Gallery
2018
Courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio Laundromat, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s first ever exhibition in the Gulf region, opens at Fire Station
“By bringing significant talent to Qatar, we hope to spark creativity”
2019
Photo: David Levene Qatar National Museum reopens as NMoQ, with a building designed by Jean Nouvel
Making Doha 1950-2030 opens at NMoQ
2020
Photo: Courtesy of Qatar Museums Creative hub M7 hosts the pop-up exhibition Unwasted ahead of the creative hub’s official public opening
2021
Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Orange), 1994-2000. Artwork © Jeff Koons Jeff Koons: Lost in America, the US artist’s first exhibition in the Gulf, opens at Alriwaq
Zeina Arida becomes director of Mathaf
2022
220327_Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum Galleries 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum opens
MIA reopens ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2022, becoming the first carbon-neutral-certified museum in the Middle East
Liwan Design Studios and Labs opens
2023
Olafur Eliasson, Your pearl garden, 2023. Installation view, Olafur Eliasson: The curious desert, near the Al Thakhira Mangrove in Northern Qatar, 2023. Photo: Ali Faisal Al Anssari, courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York Olafur Eliasson presents a major multi-site exhibition, The Curious Desert
2024
Abeer Seikaly, Constellations 2.0: Object. Light. Consciousness. lit in the dark, 2023. Photo: Emanuele Tortora, courtesy of Abeer Seikaly and Design Doha The inaugural Design Doha Biennial launches to celebrate design excellence across the Middle East, north Africa and south Asia region
Dan Flavin / Donald Judd: Doha opens at Alriwaq, presented in partnership with LACMA
2025
QM celebrates its 20th anniversary
“Culture is no longer a separate sphere... it is the heart of our nation”
