Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2016 | Page 30
| Issue 1
Yousef Ahmad
Story of Ingenuity
From the breath-taking oil paintings of Al Zubarah fort to mixed
media calligraphic pieces, these are works that define a nation.
Q
atar Museums last year chose to honour one of the country’s foremost artists and
his cultural contribution with Story of Ingenuity, a retrospective exhibition of
Yousef Ahmad’s most notable pieces.
The event featured a selection of works showcasing Ahmad’s artistic journey, including
striking early oil paintings from the 1970s, and more recent conceptual pieces.
The exhibition demonstrated Ahmad’s strong affection for Qatar, be it “celebrating the
gentle quietness of Qatar’s sea or the flat expanses of its desert and serene openness of
the sky.”
It ran from 11 November, 2014 to 28 March, 2015 at QM Gallery Katara, during
which time thousands of visitors were able to see these seminal works, which have
previously been exhibited around the world including in the US, Europe and the
Middle East.
A pioneer of Qatar’s modern art movement, Yousef Ahmad was born in Qatar
in 1955. He was appointed Head of Art and Exhibitions within the Ministry of
Information in 1976, and travelled to the US in 1979 to study a master’s degree,
specialising in painting.
Returning to Qatar, he taught art appreciation at Qatar University for more than
20 years, receiving an Honorary Order of Merit in acknowledgement of his
outstanding career.
Opening the exhibition, Ahmad described his artistic passion for his native land,
saying: “As a local artist who has had the privilege to train abroad, I find so much in
our environment that excites and inspires me. What’s more, the opportunity to share
my works with the people of Qatar is inspiring and humbling, and I hope that my
journey encourages future generations of local artists to follow their creative dreams.”
He added: “I’m proud to play an important part in the development of our country’s
artistic community and I look forward to seeing it evolve and develop at this incredibly
important time.”
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