*Exhibition celebrates car collectors in the wider community
‘Mal Lawal 3 Cars’, the classic cars edition of the Mal Lawal 3 exhibition, is showcasing a selection of cars from two established local car collectors at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ).
Mal Lawal is a unique platform that celebrates the art of collecting and brings together private collectors from Qatar to showcase their collectibles.
The cars on display at the exhibition, which opened on December 17 and will run until August 1, 2021 will be changed every three months.
“Mal Lawal has evolved into a platform that transcends museum walls to record local heritage, enhance collecting practices and promote local collectors and their knowledge among the wider community. Ahead of Mal Lawal 3, Qatar Museums (QM) is delighted to present a car exhibition showcasing two of Qatar’s most prominent collectors. This collection provides fascinating insights into the country’s evolving history and passion for cars,” QM CEO Ahmad Musa al-Namla said in a press statement.
‘Mal Lawal 3 Cars’ presents the private collections of Salem Saeed al-Mohannadi and Omar Hussain Alfardan. The local passion for car collecting can be traced back to the arrival of the first shipments of cars into Qatar in the mid-1950s.
During this time, cars were mainly imported and acquired with the intent to facilitate everyday life activities. The excitement generated by the new cars ultimately transformed into a passion for collecting cars.
People collect cars, among other reasons, to document and preserve pivotal moments in the nation’s social history, evoke a sense of nostalgia, and establish a collection of exclusive classic cars.
“When collecting, I always take into consideration the vehicles’ relevance in documenting the history of transportation in Qatar. I always try to get to know the story behind each of the cars and all the previous owners and their uses for the vehicles. I have a particular interest in the history of the rare ones, especially those that have a distinguished past with previous owners that include princes, sheikhs and rulers. When it comes to the Gulf and Arab world, or to prominent figures in society, particularly, those dating back to the beginning of the last century, I always keep the cars in their original condition without any changes to the body or colour,” al-Mohannadi, a participating car collector, said.
Mal Lawal ‘of the past’ is an exhibition that, since 2012, has showcased an incredible range of local and regional collectors. In its third edition, Mal Lawal has expanded its programmes and will launch with the classic cars collectors exhibition in its first opening phase.
In the first quarter of 2021, NMoQ, together with a prominent sponsor, will launch the second phase, providing a platform to present the stories of 26 Qatari general collectors.
“It is an honour to participate and attend the 3rd edition of Mal Lawal, one of the most extensive exhibitions on Qatar heritage and collection, this year launch of the Classic Car programme with its extensive focus on the history, underlines the evolution of car collectors in the region. Qatar has always been a breeding ground for great ideas carried out by courageous people who have invested in their intuition and their passion, I hope that what we have built will inspire generations to come and this exhibition gives us the opportunity to do so,” Alfardan, another participating car collector in the exhibition, said.
