In a land of ancient traditions, this art museum provides opportunities to explore the modern creativity of artists from Qatar and the larger Arab community.
Visit the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art to gain insights on distinctive styles of modern and contemporary art from the Arab world. With the combination of a large permanent collection, many varied temporary exhibits, a comprehensive research library, talks and classes, the museum is an excellent resource for local residents and visitors to explore the modern art scene with this unique geographic and cultural focus.
The permanent collection began with a donation from H.E. Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani and has grown to over 9,000 pieces of Arab art, one of the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. Media include painting, sculpture and even video works over the time period from the mid-1800s to today.
Look for Jewad Selim’s Baghdadiat, a piece in mixed media on hardboard that depicts daily life in Baghdad and features creative crescent patterns, meaningful symbols for Islamic people.
Jassim Zaini’s works are of particular interest in showing cultural changes from the 1950s to 1970s when the initial production of oil and the creation of Qatar as a state had significant impact on everyday lives.
Be sure to see whatever temporary exhibit is currently in place. Past exhibitions have included Wael Shawky’s marionette films telling the story of the Crusades, Cai Guo-Qiang’s gunpowder drawings and the multi-artist Tea with Nefertiti that examined the essence of viewing and appreciating art. The museum also offers classes, artist conversations and art-focused storytelling for kids.
The Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of the Doha Port in a neighborhood known as Education City. Travel here by taxi or ride a bus to a nearby stop. The free Mathaf Bus system also includes stops at the Qatar National Library, Fire Station artist-in-residence site, Museum of Islamic Art and National Museum of Qatar.
Mathaf museum hours are mid morning to early evening from Saturday to Thursday and afternoons on Friday. Admission is free for Qatar residents. For information about ticket prices for non-residents and to request a guided tour, visit the official Mathaf website.
