A panel discussion on 'Museums of Modern Art: Current Trends, East & West' was held on Tuesday as part of the events of #Qatar Creates talks programme.
The programme is attended by a group of most significant and influential architects in the world.
The panel discussion was held at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern and moderated by Mark Rappolt, Editor-in-Chief of ArtReview.
Director of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Abdellah Karroum, participated in the panel discussion along with Michael Govan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Adam Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown, Director of the Whitney Museum; Monica Narula, co-founder of Raqs Media Collective, and others.
The discussion focused on the various aspects of museum care and activities, the social and political participation of modern art museums, the appreciation of the growing public interest in modern art and its social significance in the context of daily events, and the current trends in the collection of modern art and its presentation in the East and West.
Abdellah Karroum presented an overview of the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, which was launched in 2010, noting that it is not only a space for the display of works of art, but "we regard the Museum as an open stage that amplifies voices and ideas to connect the specific with the generic, the local with the global, the recycled with the new. In times of crisis and conflict, art and the debates it provokes are more necessary than ever for our societies."
A section of the audience
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Michael Govan said that the museum has a collection of artifacts dating back to thousands of years.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established as a museum in 1961.
Prior to this, LACMA was part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, founded in 1910 in Exposition Park near the University of Southern California.
It is the largest new museum to be built in the United States after the National Gallery of Art.
Executive director of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art Vasili Tsereteli introduced the museum which part of its work is maintaining and expanding the artistic collection, as well as bridging the gap between time periods and allowing artists and critics to interpret what art is, as well as finding new works of art.
Adam Weinberg, director of the Whitney Museum in New York, highlighted the museums' efforts to preserve the collections, adding that museums offer a space to communicate with the world.
Monica Narula, co-founder of Raqs Media Collective, agreed with other panellists on the role of the museums, noting that they are also a point of convergence.
The Museum of Islamic Art hosted the second panel session entitled 'The Walk of the Red Carpet' with the participation of designer Brad Goreski, Lebanese makeup artist Samer Khouzami and international fashion designer Monique Lhuillier.
The session was moderated by Lebanese-Tunisian actress Nadine Njeim.
A third panel discussion, entitled the changing role of women in the art world and society, was moderated by Director of the Menil Collection in Houston, Rebecca Rabinow.
The panel included Qatari musician Dana Alfardan; contemporary Qatari artists Aisha Nasser al-Sowaidi and Dr Reem Meshal, associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University; and filmmaker Mira Nair and Monica Narula, Co-Founder of Raqs Media Collective.
The panellists explored whether women artists are treated or observed differently from their male counterparts and examined the experience of female artists today.
Over the course of five days, from 25th to 29th March, more than 60 pioneers and leaders in their respective fields will share insights, perspectives and ideas with large groups of audiences in locations that range from NMoQ, Qatar National Library, the Museum of Islamic Art, Katara and more.
Participants include photographers, architects, artists, critics, commentators, designers and filmmakers amongst others.
Together they represent the largest concentration of artistic talent that the country has ever seen.
They present a unique opportunity for young artists and talented creatives to hear from and be inspired by some of the worlds most significant and influential cultural icons.
