Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art to reopen in October

The museum, which opened in 2008, has been closed since April 2021. Its reopening features a reinstallation of its permanent collection galleries, reconfigured according “to broad historical and cultural themes, periods and geography,” and will explore “the great traditions of Islamic craftsmanship,” said officials.

Julia Gonnella, who became director of the museum in 2017 said, “The relaunch involves a full rehang of its permanent galleries, a significant step that reimagines the collection in its entirety,”

There will also be a new section on Islam in Southeast Asia and an exploration of the relationship between different cultures through exhibitions highlighting the trade of commodities and the exchange of ideas across the Islamic world and the globe.

Shortly after its reopening, the museum will inaugurate “Baghdad: Eye’s Delight” (Oct. 26-Feb. 23), the temporary exhibition that introduces and celebrates one of the world’s most influential cities, looking at its heritage as the capital of the great Abbasid caliphs (750-1258) and its legacy in the 20th century, when the city again became a thriving center for the arts, culture, and commerce.

Highlights in the exhibition include artifacts from the Abbasid period (remnants of Abbasid palaces such as doors, textiles and gold armlets) as well as objects of trade (textiles and glass ceramics) and precious manuscripts, such as important copies of the Qur’an and scientific treatises. Also featuring, Gonnella said, will be modern artworks, including from Dia Azzawi and Sadiq Al-Fareej, and paintings from the Modern Baghdad Group, including from Jewad Salim and photographs of Latif Al-Ani.

Also among the main new attractions is the newly restored 19th-century Damascus Room, which highlights facets of Ottoman life. It took three years to re-assemble and conserve.