Dr. Magdalena Pinker
Doha: Museology in Qatar was the focus of a virtual session held as part of the second edition of the annual Arabian Week organised by the Arabic Studies Research Group at the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Dr. Magdalena Pinker, assistant professor at the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Warsaw and curator of the oriental art collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, lauded the architecture and the collections of the museums in Qatar as she presented a thorough discussion of museology in the country.
“Anyone coming to Qatar for whatever reason would want to see what Qatar has to offer. And when it comes to museums in Qatar, they are really at a very high level and it is worth visiting them even if you are not a fan of art — whether Islamic or modern art. They are also worth visiting for the buildings themselves which are simply masterpieces of modern architecture,” she said.
Dr. Pinker emphasised that museums in Qatar are impressive for their architecture, having been designed by some of the most prominent names in the world of architecture.
She spoke about some of the most important museums in Qatar that visitors wouldn’t want to miss including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and Msheireb Museums.
The Museum of Islamic Art, she said, is something that Qatar is to be proud of as it “puts Qatar on the map of the most important museum locations in the world.”
She went on to discuss where famous designer I.M. Pei derived the inspiration for MIA’s design and how its ultramodern architecture perfectly fits Doha, in addition to its massive and diverse collection which spans many centuries and countries.
With regard to NMoQ, she said the museum holds a special position not only for the amazing architecture inspired by the desert rose designed by another great name Jean Novel, but also for its collections which comprise works of art as well as “many ethnographic objects that tell about life in Qatar in the olden days and after the establishment of Qatar.”
The museum was constructed in a “grand scale” with a lot of audiovisual equipment used, including films created by famous filmmakers such as Indian-British director Mira Nair, she noted.
She also talked about the four houses which comprise Msheireb Museums, the Al Riwaq Gallery where “the greatest names in contemporary art are exhibited” and Mathaf which showcases contemporary Arab artists.
She mentioned how Qatar plays an important role in promoting contemporary artists not only in the country but also in the Arab world through Mathaf.
Upcoming museums and the acquisition of exhibits were also discussed at the online event held under the patronage of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Warsaw, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Doha and the Qatar-Poland Business Council.
Arabic cuisine, literature, music, and dance were among the other topics featured during the Arabian Week which concluded yesterday.
