Art Basel Qatar 2026 marks a landmark moment on the Gulf’s cultural calendar, bringing together leading artists, galleries, and collectors. Anchored at M7 and Doha’s Design District, the fair replaces traditional booths with an open-plan exhibition around the theme “Becoming.” From a new three-dimensional video work by Bruce Nauman to an immersive exhibition on the works of MF Husain, Qatar’s first Art Basel promises unique experiential encounters with art, underscoring the region’s growing influence in the global art scene.

Special Projects Programme

Photo Credits: Rendering of Rayyane Tabet’s project What Dreams May Come أيُّ أحلامٍ قَدْ تأتي. Courtesy of the artist.

The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar will feature immersive, large-scale digital projections as part of a new Special Projects program showcasing artists working across moving image, film, sculpture, performance, and architecture. This will be the largest public works programme staged for an art basal fair to date. Among these presentations, influential American artist Bruce Nauman will debut Beckett’s Chair Portrait Rotated, a three-dimensional video work projected on a monumental scale to create “an enveloping field of light and motion” inside the grand theatre at M7. Further special projects include Abraham Cruzvillegas’ ambitious large-scale iterations of his ongoing project autoconstrucción, and Sweat Variant’s three-hour durational performance.

MF Husain at QM Gallery Katara

Photo Credits: Karbala, 1990 by MF Husain, Collection of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art © Kiran Nadar Museum of Art

The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain makes its Doha debut after premiering at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, celebrating one of India’s leading Modernist painters. Using projection mapping and digital animation by Visioni Srl, the exhibition transforms Husain’s paintings into a dynamic, multisensory experience. Its title reflects the duality of his vision: a deep connection to his roots and the boundless freedom of a wanderer.

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture at Qatar Museums Gallery

Photo Credits: View of the faceted central structure, Museum of Islamic Art (2000–2008), Doha 2022 Commissioned by M+, 2022

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture at Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq explores the architect’s remarkable career, highlighting his ability to blend regional heritage with global ideas. The exhibition emphasizes collaboration, transcultural exchange, and the integration of buildings with their surroundings. It features newly commissioned photographs of 11 completed projects taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside five models of built and unbuilt designs.

A Nation's Legacy at National Museum of Qatar

A Nation’s Heritage, A People’s Memory… Told for Fifty Years traces half a century of the museum’s history, from its origins as the National Museum of Qatar. The exhibition unites rare artifacts and familiar icons reimagined by contemporary local artists. Using archival materials and new artworks, it reflects on the past while envisioning a revitalized future, connecting generations, cultures, and ideas.

we refuse_d at Mathaf

Photo Credits: Majd Abdel Hamid, Resonance, 2025

we refuse_d brings together fifteen artists exploring creation amid censorship and displacement. Developed through dialogue between artists and curators, the exhibition acts as both a collective statement and a space of solidarity, echoing the spirit of the 19th-century Salon des Refusés. Featuring mostly new commissions, the works trace paths of heritage, community, and repair, celebrating life, resilience, and the enduring power of art.