Qatar’s Sheikha al-Mayassa: ‘We’re a very conservative society, but we’re tolerant’

The opening of Art Basel Qatar next week marks a significant shift for both the venerable art fair and for its new host country. Art Basel, founded in 1970 in its Swiss home town, has expanded into highly successful editions in Hong Kong, Miami and Paris.For its venture into the conservative nation of Qatar, however, it has morphed its business model into a smaller and more tightly organised structure. While Art Basel Hong Kong will have 240 galleries this year, Doha’s edition will host just 87. And while it is normal practice for each gallery to bring a range of artists from its stable, in Doha each gallery will show just one, pre-approved artist — elegantly sidestepping the inevitable restrictions on the kinds of art that can be shown in an Islamic country. Pragmatically, Art Basel chief executive Noah Horowitz describes it as a “curated” approach.

Source: Qatar’s Sheikha al-Mayassa: ‘We’re a very conservative society, but we’re tolerant’