Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani (born in 1960 in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

)Fundación Banco Santander
/ref> A prominent member of the Qatari royal family and the grandson of the former King of Qatar is a Qatari artist, collector, researcher, and educator in the field of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

from the Arab world,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. His multi-billion dollar art collection is one of the most valuable and extensive in the Middle East. He is Vice Chairperson of

Qatar Museums Authority Qatar Museums (formerly the Qatar Museums Authority) is a Qatari government entity that oversees the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, MIA Park, QM Gallery at Katara, ALRIWAQ DOHA Exhibition Space, the Al Zubarah ...

, Advisor for Cultural Affairs at

Qatar Foundation Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development ( ar, مؤسسة قطر) is a state-led non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by then-emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Moza bint Nasser. Qatar Founda ...

and founder of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.The Museum
/ref>

Family

He is the son of Sheikh Muhammad bin Ali Al Thani and grandson of the former ruler of Qatar, the Emir Ali bin Abdulla Al Thani. He is married to Al-Anoud Khalid Al-Thani and is father of eight children, including Sheikha Maryam bint Hassan Al-Thani.

Education

Sheik Hassan studied "Art of the 20th Century" in a course at

Qatar University Qatar University ( ar, جامعة قطر; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) is a public research university located on the northern outskirts of Doha, Qatar. It is the only public university in the country. The university hosts ten colleges – Arts ...

in the mid-1980s. At that time, there was little information about Arab modern art, and there was not one single institution dedicated to Arab modern art in the whole region of the Middle East and North Africa.The Arab Modern
/ref> He then decided to build his own collection and expand his knowledge of Arab modern art by sponsoring and promoting Arab artists.
/ref>

Collection

In 1986, Sheikh Hassan started his own

collection Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collectio ...

. The first artwork he bought was an upside-down pyramid by a Doha-born painter named

Yousef Ahmad Yousef Ahmad ( ar, يوسف أحمد; born 1955 in Doha, Qatar) is a Qatari artist, art adviser, collector, writer and educator in the field of art. He is a leading figure of Qatar's cultural development and regularly represent his country at inter ...

.A Smithsonian in the sand
/ref> Twenty-six years on, his collection has grown to 6000 artworks worth billions of dollars, acquired mostly from Qatari, Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi artists. Today, his collection covers all phases of modern art in the Middle East from the 1840s to the present. In 1994, Sheikh Hassan opened a private museum, and started helping and sponsoring artists from the region, especially Iraqis fleeing the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. In 2004, he offered the entire collection to

and in 2009, the collection was transferred to

Mathaf

When he started his collection, Sheikh Hassan's initial plan was to create an institution that would look after his collection and exhibit it to scholars, students and art lovers. In December 2010, his plan materialized with the opening of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the first museum in the region dedicated to Arab modern art. The museum now hosts the full collection of Sheikh Hassan. Hosted in a temporary building, a former school transformed into museum, Mathaf focuses in conservation, research and education around the collection.

References

External links

Official website of MathafOfficial website of Qatar Museums Authority
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thani, Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali 1960 births Living people Qatari art collectors

Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani (born in 1960 in Doha) A prominent member of the Qatari royal family and the grandson of the former King of Qatar is a Qatari artist, collector, researcher, and educator in the field of modern art from th ...