Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, today announced a wide-ranging roster of exhibitions and events that will be inaugurated beginning 23 October 2025, in a fall season that showcases the full scope and diversity of QM’s institutions. Led by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani as Chairperson, Qatar Museums was established in 2005 and now oversees eight museums, as well as exhibition spaces, public art installations, creative hubs, incubators for the cultural economy, and historic sites, all through which QM advances its mission of preserving heritage, reflecting contemporary art and ideas, and fostering creativity in Qatar and its region.
The anniversary exhibition season is presented as part of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign honouring Qatar’s cultural journey over the past 50 years, since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar. Curated by Qatar Creates, the national movement positioning Qatar as a global hub for art, culture, and creativity, Evolution Nation highlights both the nation’s cultural milestones and its aspirations for the future.
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said “For half a century, arts and culture have been a source of pride and unity for Qatar, as well as a vehicle for engaging with other people around the world in a spirit of openness and understanding. At Qatar Museums, we are excited this fall to celebrate the creative energy that has made Qatar into a true Evolution Nation, thanks to the vision of the Father Amir and the continuing leadership of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim.”
Highlights of the QM fall exhibitions season include A Nation’s Legacy, A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ). The exhibition will trace the story of the Museum starting in 1975, when it opened in an historic palace as the first institution of its kind in the Gulf, through to the present day, when NMoQ is housed in an iconic, internationally acclaimed building designed by Jean Nouvel. Additionally, Countryside: A Place to Live, Not Leave, presented at both the National Museum of Qatar and the Qatar Preparatory School, in collaboration with Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) will spotlight an international research project led by architects Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal that evaluates the future of rural living in regions across Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture, the first full-scale retrospective organised by M+ in collaboration with Qatar Museums, will be on view at Al Riwaq—Qatar Museums’ multidisciplinary space at the intersection of contemporary art and architecture. The exhibition includes original drawings, sketches, models, and rarely seen archival materials that celebrate the life and legacy of the iconic Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917 - 2019). At the same time, the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and the future Art Mill Museum (AMM) will jointly organise I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle at the Museum of Islamic Art. This exhibition focuses on the architect’s renowned design and its influences from iconic Islamic architecture. The Museum of Islamic Art was the first institution developed under the auspices of Qatar Museums, it opened in 2008 in a building considered the culminating masterwork of I. M. Pei. Both the exhibitions are part of the Years of Culture initiative which celebrates Pei’s transcultural vision. The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha built by Pei stands as a symbol of cultural exchange between Qatar and the world.
During this special year, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is celebrating 15 years of pioneering modern and contemporary Arab art, showcasing a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation. On this occasion, several exhibitions will mark the anniversary of the museum, which opened in 2010 in a former school building imaginatively redesigned by Jean-François Bodin. Presentations will include a reinstallation of the museum’s unsurpassed collection Resolutions: Celebrating 15 years of Mathaf, and we refuse_d, a group exhibition featuring fifteen artists exploring the tensions between refusal, endurance, and artistic freedom, and solidarity. Most of the works are new commissions, presented by the artists who affirm the necessity of art as presence.
M7, a creative hub for innovation, fashion and design that opened in 2021 in a building by John McAslan & Partners, will present exhibitions including FTA: Threads of Impact. Celebrating 7 Years of Fashion Trust Arabia, surveying the influence of FTA in reshaping the regional fashion landscape. Also on view will be Houbara Haven: A Chaumet Tiara, a presentation of an exquisite bespoke tiara commissioned by Alfardan Jewellery and Qatar Museums, and crafted by the Parisian High Jewellery Maison, following the success of the 2024 exhibitionChaumet & Nature; and Amazigh Hair Couture, exploring the profound significance of traditional Moroccan Amazigh hairstyles.
3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, which opened just before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ in a building designed by Joan Sibina, will present Esports | A Game Changer, showcasing this fascinating global phenomenon including the history of Esports, socio-cultural challenges, and the future of the movement. A second exhibition, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, is a touring exhibition from the Design Museum, London and explores the links between athletic shoe design and cultural history. Some 500 objects will be on view, including 200 pairs of sneakers.
The exhibition space QM Gallery Katara will present the highly praised traveling exhibition The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain, bringing to life the work of one of India’s most influential artists. At the Fire Station, home to QM’s Artists-in-Residence programme, the exhibition Portals in Flux will feature works by the latest cohort of creative professionals to be awarded residencies, working under the guidance of the Fire Station’s celebrated Artistic Director, Wael Shawky. Curated by Saida Alkhulaifi, the exhibition marks the last edition of the Artist in Residence programme, celebrating works created by Qatar-based based artists. The Fire Station will remain a platform cultivating emerging talents through the introduction of the Arts Intensive Study Program in fall 2025.
Additional highlights of the fall 2025 season include:
● Presented by Rubaiya Qatar, untitled 2025 (no bread no ashes) installation at MIA park by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija invites the public to engage in a new performance to bake bread in fully functioning outdoor ovens. The program is part of the lead up to the inaugural edition of Rubaiya Qatar, an international contemporary art quadrennial set to open in November 2026.
● And the unveiling of Rock on Top of Another Rock by Peter Fischli & David Weiss, a 5.5-metre (18-foot) sculpture made from two balancing granite boulders, which is the latest addition to Qatar Museums’ nation-wide public art programme.
Qatar Creates, which is curating the larger Evolution Nation celebration, connects communities and inspires new possibilities through shared experiences, showcasing Qatar’s rich and evolving creative landscape. Through these exhibitions and initiatives, Qatar Creates continues to bring the country’s distinctive artistic and cultural experiences to audiences both locally and globally.
In October, a new Qatar Creates Membership programme will offer exclusive access to the nation’s dynamic cultural ecosystem. Through exhibitions, performances, conversations, and behind-the-scenes moments, members are able to actively take part in Qatar’s evolving cultural narrative by engaging with artists, educators, collectors, designers, and families, each bringing unique perspectives that collectively shape a vibrant, responsive, and future-focused cultural landscape. From newcomers to patrons, each Qatar Creates Membership tier offers different paths to participate in a movement that makes culture a lived source of identity, connection, and national progress.
Qatar Museums’ Fall 2025 Exhibitions: ( Note: Please refer to the attached press release for the list of exhibitions )
Press Contacts:
Qatar Museums, Mohamed Khames Al Abdallah
Qatar Museums, Malak Latrous
Polskin Arts, Pac Pobric