Shining a Light: Sheikh Hassan Al-Thani on Qatar's First Museum of Modern Arab Art
DOHA, Qatar- Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Thani's new museum of Arab art, Mathaf, opens its doors December 30 in Doha, Qatar. An important new cornerstone of the ruling Al-Thani family's artistically-oriented endeavors, Mathaf - the name means "museum" in Arabic - has grown from Hassan Al-Thani's personal collection. He recently spoke with Renaud Siegmann about this historic first.
What is the history of your collection, which contains over 6,000 artworks from 1850 to the present day?
I started bringing together various Arab artworks for myself in the mid-1980s. As an amateur, my collection was fairly modest in the beginning. But, starting in 1994, since the collection had increased its representation of periods and styles, I began planning to make it part of a specific project. At the time, I did not know of any museum of Arab art from the 19th century to today. As a painter and photographer - simply put, as an artist - I was passionate about modern and contemporary art and artistic movements in the Arab world. But only in Egypt could you find quality museums devoted to the history of Arab art and its different forms of expression. Otherwise there was almost nothing anywhere. So instead of continuing in the darkness, I decided to light a light.
At that time, did you continue collecting pieces that interested you in a subjective and private way or move in a more objective and museum-oriented direction?
Of course I didn't collect any more just according to my personal taste, but for the project of a public museum with an educational purpose. Thanks to various international advisers and Arab art specialists, I shaped my modern and contemporary collection with the goal of a museum. And then, in 2004, after ten years of work and research, her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, president of the Qatar Foundation, offered me the chance to turn my project into a true museum.
How did the process take place?
In 2003, I wanted to take practical measures to assure the permanence of my collection so that it could become an accessible resource - and especially an educational resource -for Qatar. Initially connected with the Qatar Foundation, which maintained it for four years, the collection then jointed the Qatar Museums Authority, which gave it a place as one of its projects for encouraging understanding and dialogue around the arts. This is when a partnership developed between the Qatar Foundation [founded in 1995 by his Highness Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani] and the Qatar Museums Authority, headed by her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
You are also the vice president of the Qatar Museums Authority. What is its mission?
The Qatar Museums Authority, which was created in 2005, has the goal of uniting the resources of all the museums in Qatar and efficiently organizing their development, as well as managing fundraising, protection, maintenance, and interpretation of historic sites, monuments, and artworks. Like an evolving lever, it moves to mobilize, educate, and connect various publics, at both the national and international levels. With multiple facets, its plan of action celebrates Qatari identity, builds bridges between cultures, and welcomes visitors from all over the world to Doha.
What are some highlights of the Authority's accomplishments?
In 2008, the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei, emphasized Qatar's involvement in founding cultural establishments of the highest level, in creating the highest-quality architecture to match the collections it will house, and in encouraging dialogue and education. In addition to the Museum of Islamic Art, which was conceived as a bridge between East and West and past and present, this vision will also find shape in the new National Museum of Qatar designed by Jean Nouvel, which is currently under construction. And we can't forget Mathaf, opening December 30, and several archaeological research sites planned throughout the country.
Could you describe Mathaf's collection?
First of all it's almost 200 years of Arab art and thousands of artists who are still little-known by the public and often unrecognized in their home regions. Or even in their home countries, from Qatar to Morocco, the Emirates to Algeria, Egypt to Iraq, Tunisia to Palestine, Yemen to Jordan, Iran to Turkey, Syria to Sudan…. All artistic fields are represented: painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, design, and calligraphy. Basically, it's a huge panorama of Arab art from 1850 to today, from the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, but also from North Africa and the Arab diaspora. Everything is enhanced by numerous archival documents on the artists and their work. There are also some archaeological and ancient objects that were sources of inspiration for the artists and some pre-Islamic pieces from Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt.
What is the museum's current space like?
Construction plans for a new space for Mathaf will be discussed during 2011, and in the meantime the museum occupies a building in Doha's educational complex that was once a school, which was recently renovated by French architect Jean-François Bodin. The space has a 7,750-square-foot terrace and a façade resembling scaffolding wrapped in a screen, on which videos and images can be projected at night. With two floors and a multi-use space of over 59,000 feet, Mathaf has public galleries of almost 24,000 square feet with controlled natural lighting, a library, an education wing, a cafeteria, and a shop that's housed in a recycled shipping container.
What is the theme of your opening exhibition?
On December 30, Mathaf will open its doors with "Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art," which will showcase some of the major pieces by over 100 influential artists in our permanent collection. "Sajjil" - which means "the act of recording" in Arabic - will demonstrate the space in which various narrations can be expressed in the context of Arab art and its larger historical perspective. There is particular emphasis on modernism and the multiplicity of experiences that are the foundation of our collective identity.
Do you have any other shows planned at the same time?
Along with "Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art," Mathaf will have two special exhibitions in a new temporary exhibition space in the Museum of Islamic Art. One is "Interventions," which will show a selection of other pieces from Mathaf's permanent collection along with a new work by each artist featured. The other, "Told/Untold/Retold," shows recent important work by 23 contemporary artists from the Arab world. In fact, this is the first significant exhibition of contemporary art in Doha.
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