Collecting practices of the Al-Thani Family
[1] The cultural development, characterized by new museums and exhibitions, is therefore closely linked to the socio-economic motive of building a "knowledge-based economy" in Qatar by 2030.
[2] The journalist Barbara Pollack underlines the central role of the Al-Thani family while comparing Qatar's and Abu Dhabi's cultural policies: "While Abu Dhabi is making a name for itself by building dramatic local satellites of the Louvres, the Guggenheim and the British Museum, Qatar's scheme of cultural nation building is much more homegrown, establishing its museums with the collections from its own royal family.
"[3] Several members of the Al-Thani family initially led Qatar's interest and involvement into the field of arts and continue to embody and shape the cultural policy of the country.
[4] For William Lawrie, previously Head of International Modern Contemporary Arab and Iranian Art at Christie's, "Qatar's royal family are very much like modern-day equivalents of the Medicis in 16th-century Florence".
The royal family and Qatar's cultural institution are upscale subscribers to the databank on art prices and indices Artprice Group.
A study conducted by Artprice and Organ Museum Research over the period 2000-2012 revealed that Qatar bid for art works with a margin of 40 to 45% above "market prices".
[1] Sheikha Al-Mayassa is known for being particularly interested in the work of Western contemporary art's big names, such as Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois and Mark Rothko .
[20][5] The exhibition for the opening of Mathaf in December 2010 featured art pieces by several Arab artists,[21] including French artists of Algerian origin Kader Attia and Zineb Sedira, Iraqi Adel Abidin, Palestinian Khalil Rabah, Moroccans Farid Belkahia and Mounir Fatmi, Egyptians Ahmed Nouar and Ghada Amer, and Lebanese Walid Raad.
One significant innovation has been the establishment of the Qatar Museums Authority in 2005, a government body that cooperates with the Culture Ministry but which is, according to The Economist, "above all a family affair".
During her speech, Sheikha Al Mayassa asserted that the new park will invite the citizens of Doha to interact with contemporary and other creative arts.
"We are making Qatar the place to see, explore and discuss the creations of Arab artists of the modern era and of our own time" says Sheikha al-Mayassa al-Thani[18] Its originator and most fervent defender, Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani explains how the museum was aimed at filling a void in modern Arab art in Qatar: "Since the collection had increased its representation of periods and styles, I began planning to make it part of a specific project.
Murakami-Ego was the launching event of Qatar-Japan 2012, an initiative aimed at reinforcing the diplomatic relations between the two countries through a series of cultural and sporting activities.
[28] From January to June 2012, Qatar Museums Authority organized the exhibition "Conscious and Unconscious", gathering about 30 works of art created by Louise Bourgeois between 1947 and 2009.
QMA's chairperson, Sheikha Al-Mayassa, commented on the importance of the sculpture to Qatar: "Louise Bourgeois' Maman is a true icon of 20th Century art, an artwork that has captured the attention of millions around the world.
