Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani (born in 1960 in Doha)[1][2] A prominent member of the Qatari royal family and the grandson of the former Emir of Qatar is a Qatari artist, collector, researcher, and educator in the field of modern art from the Arab world, India, and Asia.

[9] Twenty-six years on, his collection has grown to 6000 artworks worth billions of dollars, acquired mostly from Qatari, Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi artists.

[7] In 1994, Sheikh Hassan opened a private museum, and started helping and sponsoring artists from the region, especially Iraqis fleeing the Gulf War.

The center provides academic support for historical research and related studies which pertain to the history of Qatar and Arabia.

[7] Hosted in a temporary building, a former school transformed into museum, Mathaf focuses in conservation, research and education around the collection.