Focus on Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani: the undisputed queen of the Qatari art world

Qatar is a country in the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula. Qatari culture is similar to that of many Arab countries. It is divided into four main categories: music, art, costume and oriental cuisine. In terms of art, Qatar has one important person who rules over art, her name is Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani. Renowned and famous for her talent, she is known as the culture queen. A woman of influence, a unique woman, why?

Biography of Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani

Born in 1982, Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani is currently 39 years old. She is the 14th child of the former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned. In 2006, the Qatari princess married Jassim bin Abdul Aziz Al-Thani Al-Wajbah and gave birth to 3 sons: Mohammed, Hamad and Abdulaziz. Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani learns several languages in Doha, the capital of Qatar. In 2005, the princess obtained her BA degree in political science. She then moved to the United States to study at Duke University in Durham. The sister of the current Emir continued her studies at the University of Paris-1. Finally, she finished her higher education in New York. On her return to Qatar, she founded an NGO. She was also appointed president of the board of directors of the organisation that manages museums throughout Qatar.

Prodigious purchases by the queen of museums

Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani was helped by her father to reflect the field of art in Qatar. Being a bold woman, the princess has introduced a new way of promoting art. Her expertise and often outrageous ideas are revealed during exhibitions. Hidden sculptures that were considered taboo are proudly displayed during her own exhibitions. The new monarch hopes to return to the basics of Qatar's identity and forget the original taste of the princess.

Number one personality in art

Since 2011, the Princess of Qatar has been designated as a woman of influence. In 2012 and 2013, she was presented as a queen of the art world by the Anglo-Saxon media. Millions of dollars poured into the art market to add to the pictures, paintings and sculptures in the museums in Qatar. As long as the princess shines, she brings a light of change and splendour to Oriental art. With such boldness, magazines are wondering what will happen when the princess stops shining.
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Art forms

There are 7 types of art: architecture, literature (drama or poetry), visual arts (drawing, painting…), cinema, music, sculpture and performing arts.

Famous artists

Among the greatest painters in history, we can mention Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Gustave Courbet, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall or Eugène Delacroix.

Art market

The art market is a place where many works of art are exchanged between different actors: intermediaries, artists, gallery owners, art brokers, collectors or buyers.

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