Qatar Museums in partnership with Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba), opened LATINOAMERICANO| Modern and Contemporary Art from Malba and Eduardo Costantini Collections at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), the first major exhibition in the WANA region dedicated to Latin America’s modern and contemporary art. On view from 21 April to 19 July 2025, the expansive showcase highlights a dynamic cultural exchange between Qatar and Latin America and stands as a centerpiece of this year’s Qatar Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture, a national initiative that builds connections between Qatar and other countries through long-term cultural partnerships rooted in mutual respect and understanding. Other programmes planned for this year include performances, exhibitions, sporting and culinary events, photography projects, residency schemes, volunteer trips, and more.
The exhibition was unveiled by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in the attendance of Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, CEO, Qatar Museums, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani, Director of National Museum of Qatar, and Teresa Bulgheroni, President of the Malba Foundation among other dignitaries.
LATINOAMERICANO brings together approximately 170 works by more than 100 pioneering and contemporary artists from across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The exhibition offers a wide-ranging exploration of Latin American visual culture from the early 20th century to the present day, tracing how artists from across the continent have reflected, challenged, and reshaped social, political, and cultural realities through art.
The exhibition, co-curated by Issa Al Shirawi, Curator and Head of International Exhibitions at Qatar Museums, and María Amalia García, Chief Curator at Malba is organised into six thematic sections that span artistic responses to urbanisation, identity, memory, and resistance, offering a nuanced perspective on the shared yet diverse experiences that define the region’s visual language.
Visitors to LATINOAMERICANO will encounter iconic works such as Frida Kahlo’s Autorretrato con chango y loro (1942), Diego Rivera’s Baile en Tehuantepec (1928), Fernando Botero’s El viudo (1968), and Wifredo Lam’s Omi Obini (1943), among other masterworks. These are presented alongside lesser-seen gems and contemporary voices, including newly acquired pieces from Malba making their public debut, and significant works from Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the future Art Mill Museum.
Extending the exhibition into the outdoor spaces of the National Museum of Qatar, Marta Minujín’s large-scale installation Sculpture of Dreams (2023), a whimsical, inflatable structure first seen in New York’s Times Square, offers visitors a sensory expression of the playfulness and imagination found throughout Latin American art.
By bringing together celebrated names and emerging voices, LATINOAMERICANO invites audiences in Qatar and the wider region to discover a rich and layered artistic heritage that has long been influential yet underrepresented in global narratives. The exhibition not only bridges geographic and cultural distances but also deepens mutual understanding and artistic appreciation between Latin America and the Arab world.
LATINOAMERICANO is presented as part of the Spring/Summer 2025 Season of Qatar Creates - a platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of Qatar’s creative industries and promoting cultural activities within the country.
A comprehensive public programme will accompany the exhibition throughout its run, including lectures, guided tours, workshops, and community activities. These activations are designed to encourage conversation, exchange, and participation, ensuring that LATINOAMERICANO remains accessible and engaging to a wide spectrum of visitors.
For more information on this season's cultural events in Doha and the exciting lineup of exhibitions by Qatar Creates, visit:
https://qm.swoogo.com/qmspring2025/7703945?reg_type_id=821985&ref=LC
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Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves and expands the nation’s cultural offerings, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of museums and festivals including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, and Design Doha. Future projects include Dadu: Children’s Museum of Qatar, Art Mill Museum, Qatar Auto Museum and the Lusail Museum.
Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, M7, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design, and Liwan Design Studios and Labs—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.
About National Museum of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) preserves and celebrates the history of Qatar. It engages with its present and inspires the country's ambitions for the future. The Museum, which opened in March 2019, gives voice to the country's culture and heritage through artefacts, oral histories, music, films, and artworks. The NMoQ takes the visitor on an immersive and multisensory journey of its 1.5 km thematic and chronological galleries. The iconic building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, is inspired by the desert rose and comprises of large interlocking disks of different diameters and curvatures that surround the restored historic palace of the late Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, ruler of Qatar (1913 – 1949).
About Malba
Malba, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, is internationally recognized as a reference point for Latin American Art and as a beacon of artistic and cultural life in Buenos Aires. Founded in 2001, it is a non-profit organization that preserves and exhibits one of the most important collections of Latin American art in the world, with more than 700 pieces by the region’s leading modern and contemporary artists. It also organizes an annual program of temporary exhibitions of Argentine, Latin American and international art, in collaboration with other regional and global institutions. Since its foundation, the museum has also functioned as an inclusive and plural space for the production of cultural activities, aimed at broad and diverse audiences. It has two major Film and Literature departments, and strong Education and Publishing programs. It receives an average of 500,000 visitors annually.
About Years of Culture
The Years of Culture initiative, chaired by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, spearheads long-lasting cultural partnerships between Qatar and other nations. It exists to promote respect and understanding among diverse cultures and serves as a catalyst for bringing people together, nurturing connections, encouraging dialogue, and deepening understanding. At its heart, Years of Culture celebrates the power of cultural exchange, which enriches Qatar’s ties with partner countries beyond the dedicated year.
Each year is organised with support from Qatar and partner countries’ cultural institutions, ministries, foundations, and private and public sector partners, with assistance from Embassies in Qatar and abroad. Programmes are tailored to explore the unique nature of each partner country with a focus on cultural heritage, creative industries, social and economic development, and innovation.
Previous Years of Culture have included: Qatar-Japan 2012, Qatar-UK 2013, Qatar-Brazil 2014, Qatar-Türkiye 2015, Qatar-China 2016, Qatar-Germany 2017, Qatar-Russia 2018, Qatar-India 2019, Qatar-France 2020, Qatar-USA 2021, Qatar-MENASA 2022, Qatar-Indonesia 2023, and Qatar-Morocco 2024.
FIND US ONLINE:
Years of Culture
Website: yearsofculture.qa
X: @YearsofCulture | Instagram: @YearsofCulture | Facebook: @YearsofCulture
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Press contacts
Qatar Museums
Mohammed Khames Al Abdallah/ mfaraj@qm.org.qa/ +974 4402 8544
Varsha Eriyari/ veriyari@qm.org.qa/ +974 7097 4677
Years of Culture
Anya Kotova / anyak@bljworldwide.com / +974 3011 4338
Malba - Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires
Soledad Álvarez Campos / sacampos@malba.org.ar / +54911 41857734
Julieta Correa / jcorrea@malba.org.ar/ + 54911 35776116