Qatar Museums and the Municipality of Venice announced that they have signed a Protocol of Cooperation, agreeing to strengthen their existing relationships and enhance collaboration in the cultural and socio-economic fields.
The agreement coincides with the announcement by Qatar Airways that it will resume direct flights between Doha and Venice on 12 June, and as the Floating City celebrates the opening of the Art for Tomorrow conference, presented by The Democracy & Culture Foundation alongside Founding Partner Qatar Museums.
In recognition of their shared interests, Qatar Museums and Venice will pursue activities that add value to their cultural heritage, improve the conditions of knowledge, and mutually encourage business investment, particularly in the fields of art, preservation, sport, and entertainment. Examples of possible activities may include the development of exhibitions and seminars exploring the historical links between Italian and Islamic art and architecture; the participation by their artists in international festivals and exhibitions; scholarly collaborations, such as producing art publications and co-organizing research visits by librarians, archivists, and historians; the promotion of connections between sporting organizations; the exhibition of collections and the joint organization of thematic seminars; and mutual cooperation for the protection and regeneration of cultural heritage, including the exchange of information and the implementation of structural interventions aimed at restoring some symbolic parts of the City of Venice.
Venice, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, has played an essential role in world culture for centuries. Since 1895, it has hosted the Venice Biennale, welcoming artists and nations from around the world to exhibit alongside their peers in what has become the most important event on the art world calendar, bringing to the city significant economic growth through cultural tourism.
The partnership builds upon the strong relationship between Qatar Museums and Venice forged through a series of successful collaborations over the past two years. Qatar Museums is the organizer of the current exhibition Your Ghosts Are Mine, Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices, at ACPPalazzo Franchetti, on view throughout the 2024 Art Biennale and the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, and was the sponsor of the Kengo Kuma: Onomatopoeia Architecture exhibition at the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti during the 2023 Architecture Biennale. Artworks on loan from Qatar Museums are currently on view in Foreigners Everywhere, the main exhibition of the 2024 Venice Art Biennale, which includes objects from Mathaf’s collection of works by major Arab modern artists, and in the Worlds of Marco Polo exhibition at the Doge’s Palace, which includes objects from the Museums of Islamic Art. In June 2024, the latest edition of the Art for Tomorrow conference on global cultural issues is being held in Venice with the participation of Qatar Museums as founding supporter.
The Protocol of Cooperation will be effective for five years, through the end of 2029, and may be extended beyond that date by mutual agreement. Details of the activities to be undertaken by the two parties will be announced as they become available.
