Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Tourism has entered an agreement to hand over Doha Exhibition Centre for 10 years to Qatar Museums (QM) for the establishment of Qatar Auto Museum. The venue will serve as a home to the country’s latest museum dedicated to supporting Qatar’s aim to developing unique cultural and tourist attractions.
The agreement was signed in the National Museum of Qatar by Akbar Al Baker, chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group chief executive, alongside Ahmad Al Namla, chief executive officer of Qatar Museums. The signing took place in the presence of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, and HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and various other national dignitaries.
The event included an exhibition comprised of unique classic cars inside the National Museum of Qatar, as well artist Pipilotti Rist’s installation, ‘Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You’.
On the occasion, Akbar Al Baker said: "This agreement between Qatar Tourism and Qatar Museums celebrates Qatar’s position as a vibrant and artistic cultural hub. We are proud to play a pivotal role in implementing Qatar’s tourism strategy, as well as developing our creative economy through key collaborations with prominent stakeholders such as Qatar Museums.”
Ahmad Al Namla stated: "The Qatar Auto Museum advances Qatar Museums’ legacy of work surrounding car culture, which includes assembling a world-class collection of automobiles, hosting several auto-themed exhibitions, and dedicating a gallery at the National Museum to vintage cars with the support of the Sealine Sports.”
The Qatar Auto Museum will include a world-class collection of automobiles and will host several auto-themed exhibitions throughout the year. It will also include permanent galleries that track the evolution of the automobile from its invention to today and showcase how it has influenced the culture in Qatar. It will also house temporary exhibition spaces for the display of high-profile vehicles — from supercars and limited editions to race cars and classic cars.
Additional facilities will include an Edutainment Center and Workshop Spaces, as well as areas dedicated to children’s activities such as driving simulators, mini car mechanics, kids driving areas, and more. The 30,000-square-metre space will be designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, led by Pritzker Architecture Prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas.