QATAR MUSEUMS LAUNCHES SEASON ONE OF THE “LUSAIL MUSEUM CONVERSATIONS”

 

Leading international historians and thinkers explore the Late Ottoman world across five lectures and a film screening in this new series of public events. © Osman Hamdi Bey (Ottoman Turkish, 1842–1910) La mosquée verte de Brousse (The Green Mosque, Bursa), 1890 Oil on canvas, Lusail Museum, Qatar Museums

Doha, Qatar, 8 January 2026 — Qatar Museums is pleased to announce the launch of the Lusail Museum Conversations, an ongoing series of public lectures and events. The inaugural season, titled The Late Ottoman World: At the Roots of the Modern Middle East, runs from January to April 2026 and will take place at Georgetown University in Qatar. Across five in-depth talks, the series examines questions of authority, artistic expression, reform, and belonging during the nineteenth century, revealing the foundations of many dynamics that continue to shape the region today. This is the first of a longer cycle of thematic seasons.   Designed as a platform for dialogue, scholarship, and cultural exchange, the programme invites audiences to explore, with leading speakers, the cities, stories, and figures of the nineteenth-century Middle East and beyond.   Through conversations led by internationally recognised historians and cultural figures who are also acclaimed storytellers, audiences will learn unexpected stories about late Ottoman culture and the roots of the modern Middle Eastern, discovering how people negotiated the challenges and appeal of European modernity in a world rooted in its own history.   The inaugural season brings together five lectures and a film screening, each delving into key aspects of the late Ottoman world. From exploring the intersections of art, authority, and reform, to questions of identity and cultural exchange, the talks examine how pivotal figures and events shaped the cultural and artistic landscapes of the nineteenth-century Middle East. Audiences will gain insight into palace culture, diplomacy, the experiences of imperial elites, the contributions of women artists, and the legacies of memory and migration in the region.   Season One Programme: Talk 1 | 13 January 2026 | Edhem Eldem             Princes, Patrons, and Painters: The Ottoman Palace and the Challenge of Modernity In this lecture, Edhem Eldem explores the paintings of the last Ottoman caliph, Abdülmecid (1868-1944), examining how he used his own art to project a self-image of modernity and responsibility following the Young Turk Revolution of 1908. Through the lens of palace culture and visual production, his practice sheds light on the paradoxes of Ottoman modernisation and the often-overlooked role of imperial figures in shaping cultural narratives. Talk 2 | 27 January 2026 | Ridha Moumni At the Empire’s Edge: Art, Authority, and Reform in Nineteenth-Century Tunis This lecture shows how Tunisia’s rulers reshaped political imagery and ceremonial language in the nineteenth century to assert new dynamics of reform and transformation. Starting with the Tunisian Bey’s historic visit to Paris in 1846, it explores how art, diplomacy, and architecture positioned the country at a crossroads of Ottoman reform, Mediterranean exchange, and an emerging modern statehood. Talk 3 | 16 February 2026 | Mostafa Minawi Arab-Ottoman Imperialists of Istanbul at the Fall of a Multicultural Empire In this lecture, Mostafa Minawi brings to life the experiences of Arab members of the Ottoman imperial elite living and working in Istanbul at the turn of the twentieth century. Drawing on archival research and his award-winning book Losing Istanbul (2022), Minawi reconsiders narratives of nationalism and ethno-racialisation, showing how loyalists from across the empire navigated identity, power, and belonging during the final years of Ottoman rule.   Talk 4 | 1 April 2026 | Gizem Tongo Painting “Like a Man”: Orientalism and Women Artists in the Late Ottoman Empire This lecture centres on the pioneering late Ottoman painter Mihri, situating her career within broader debates on Orientalism and artistic agency. Through close analysis of women artists’ practices, the talk explores how they confronted and at times transformed the social and institutional hierarchies that shaped their world. Talk 5 | 14 April 2026 | Philippe Aractingi Héritages: Film Screening and Public Conversation The season concludes with a screening of Héritages (2014), a film which offers reflections on exile, memory, and transmission across generations in the Levant, through personal archives and family history. It will be followed by a conversation with award-winning director Philippe Aractingi, hosted by Alain Fouad George, Director of Lusail Institute.   This year Qatar Museums celebrates Evolution Nation, a campaign honouring Qatar’s cultural journey over the past 50 years, since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar. Curated by Qatar Creates, the national movement positions Qatar as a global hub for art, culture, and creativity. Evolution Nation highlights both the nation’s cultural milestones and its aspirations for the future.   For more information and to secure a seat, please contact nelhajj@qm.org.qa.

About Qatar Museums   Now marking its 20th anniversary, Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves and expands the nation’s cultural offerings, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.   Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of museums and festivals including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, ALRIWAQ, QM Gallery Katara, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, and Design Doha. Future projects include Dadu: Children’s Museum of Qatar, Art Mill Museum, Qatar Auto Museum and the Lusail Museum.   Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, M7, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design, and Liwan Design Studios and Labs—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.   Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.   About Lusail Museum   Lusail Museum is being developed as one of Qatar’s future landmark cultural destinations on Al Maha Island in Lusail, just north of Doha. Drawing on its world-class collection of Orientalist paintings, photography, film, fashion, and decorative arts — the museum will become a leading international platform for dialogue on art, cultures, and global exchange.   The museum’s architecture and visitor experience will reflect its mission to explore movement, identity, and cultural encounters. The Lusail Institute will drive research, debate, and programming, powering the museum’s intellectual vision. Dr Julia Gonnella is the Director of Lusail Museum.