Sheikha Al Mayassa, the art-loving royal putting Qatar on the map: ‘if you have money, you can build things – but you have to build something with a purpose’ – interview

Mar 25 , 2023

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani thought she was destined for a life of diplomacy work, but is currently the chair of Qatari Museums. Photo: Handout

The sister of Qatar’s ruler and current chair of Qatari Museums, the ‘art sheika’ turned her back on a career in diplomacy – now she’s using art to build bridges and create cultural connections

Style sat down for an interview with the Middle Eastern royal when she visited Hong Kong for Art Basel 2023 – and she came away impressed with M+ museum and Tai Kwun

When Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani graduated from university in 2005, as the daughter of Qatar’s then-ruling emir, she assumed she was destined for a life of foreign service and diplomacy work. Although she had always been passionate about the arts – even contemplating turning the novel Leo Africanus into a film while studying in the US – the royal never thought of making a career out of it.

HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Fast forward 18 years later, and Al Mayassa – who is the sister of the country’s current ruler, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who assumed power from their father in 2013 – is the chair of Qatari Museums, “an authority completely dedicated to museums, with the mandate to develop museums and support and inspire young people to collect and create spaces where they can share their passions, whether it’s art, cars, design, fashion” she explains in an interview in Hong Kong on the eve of Art Basel.

Sheikha Al Mayassa is shown around City as a Studio exhibition at K11 Musea in Hong Kong by local tastemaker and entrepreneur Adrian Cheng. Photo: Handout

Clad in a custom abaya from Canadian-born British-Turkish designer Erdem when we meet, the sheikha is in the city to discover several cultural institutions that recently opened in the city, particularly M+, the museum of 20th and 21st century visual culture that serves as a linchpin of the West Kowloon Cultural District. “I’ve been working with [M+ architect] Jacques Herzog for many years on projects like [Qatar’s forthcoming] Lusail Museum, which we are starting this year, so I was curious to see his buildings here,” says Al Mayassa, visibly excited about her first visit to the city.

If you have money, you can build things, but you have to build something with a purpose and that something has to bring value to the quality of life of the residents

In the few hours since landing that morning, she had already been to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which exhibits artefacts from the National Palace Museum at the Forbidden City in Beijing, and Tai Kwun, the former Central Police Station Compound that was reborn as a culture and lifestyle destination. As someone who has promoted the repurposing of old buildings into cultural institutions, the sheika had been very impressed by the latter, adding that she loved the way it had become so integrated into its bustling neighbourhood in the heart of Hong Kong Island.

Sheikha Al Mayassa and Naomi Campbell hanging out at Doha’s The Museum of Islamic Art during Qatar Creates 2022 last October. Photo: Getty Images for Qatar Creates and Qatar Museums

While Al Mayassa’s early plan to work in diplomacy never materialised, her role as the cultural leader of Qatar, and arguably the entire Middle East, is not that different from what diplomats do to foster exchange and collaboration between countries.

“When I was asked to work in the museum field I didn’t think much of it and didn’t realise I was going to be here all these years later – I thought it was going to be one project – but I got excited by how culture connects people and countries and sectors, I found it to be very powerful,” she says.

“It’s the opportunity to show things and make things and not just talk with words, but showing people things that they can experience. That’s why I’m excited about the Lusail Museum because it allows for so many different narratives to come out and opportunities for research.”

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has a clear vision for the future of Qatar. Photo: Handout