Arab museum of modern art opens in Doha

Doha: The Arab Museum of Modern Art opened in Doha on Tuesday, for a preview ahead of its December 30 public opening. Slated as the first institution of its kind in the region, Mathaf (meaning ‘museum' in Arabic) is temporarily being housed in a renovated school building.

The art has been collected by Shaikh Hassan Bin Mohammad Bin Ali Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), for the past 25 years.

"Collectors and curators are increasingly drawn to the work of contemporary. Arab artists, which is a very welcome development. But today's artistic activities can truly flourish only if they are connected meaningfully to the important history that lies behind these achievements. Mathaf deepens the conversation about Arab art and helps advance the creativity of the Arab world," Shaikh Hassan said at the opening.

The new museum has opened with an exhibition entitled Sajjil (meaning the ‘act of recording' in Arabic), featuring 6,000 paintings, sculptures and installations by more than 100 artists, representing pivotal moments in the development of Arab modernism throughout the 20th century, from the 1840s to the present day.