Art Basel Qatar VIP day: fair’s debut encourages patience

The inaugural Art Basel Qatar opened to VIPs on 3 February 2026 in Doha, with Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz emphasizing its commercial purpose despite an institutional, biennial-like presentation, The Art Newspaper reported. The fair uses a “boothless” format with 87 exhibitors—about one-third the size of a typical Art Basel fair—each presenting a solo artist project pre-selected by a curatorial team led by artist Wael Shawky across two nearby venues in Msheireb: M7 and the Design District. The report highlighted high-cost, large-scale works aimed at institutional buyers (including presentations involving Meriem Bennani and Maha Malluh) alongside more accessible offerings such as sculptural paintings by Emirati artist Sarah Almeihari shown by Dubai’s Carbon 12 for under $10,000. Visitors quoted included Pinault Collection president Guillaume Cerutti, who praised the smaller, solo-show structure, while the article also raised questions about the fair’s reliance on state support tied to Qatar’s cultural strategy led by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Read the full article at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events