Q Life Magazine Q Magazine (US) May 2016 | Page 18
| Issue 2
Mathaf:
An Arab
Perspective on
Modern Art
| Manal al-Dowayan, Suspended Together, 2011. Fiber glass printing, dimensions
variable.
M
athaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art opened in
2010 in a renovated school building in Doha’s
Education City. The museum’s collection offers a
rare comprehensive overview of modern Arab art,
representing the major trends and production sites from
the 1840s through present day. Co-owned by Qatar
Museums and Qatar Foundation, the Mathaf Collection
now holds more than 9,000 works, making it the world’s
largest specialized collection of its kind.
| View of Selections from the Collection, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art,
Doha, June 1–August 31, 2013. Photo by Leonore-Namkha Beschi.
Through major exhibitions—both historical and
experimental—and large-scale education programs,
Mathaf serves as a center for dialogue, a facility for
research, and a resource for fostering creativity. Mathaf
hosts solo and group exhibitions by regional artists, as
well as events that explore and celebrate modern and
contemporary art. The museum also presents exhibitions
that situate the Arab world in a larger art context.
Together, such programs bolster Mathaf ’s mission to
engage the local and international community, encourage
research and scholarship, and contribute to the cultural
landscape of the Gulf region, the Middle East, the Arab
Diaspora, and beyond.
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| Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. Museum exterior with Adam Henein’s
Al-Safina (‘The Ship’) in the foreground.