Qatar Museums published its Fall 2026 exhibitions programme on 27 August, and the season opened on 3 September with a survey of Uzbek art and craft at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). More follows from late October: the Baghdad Modern Art Group at Mathaf, Giuseppe Penone at the National Museum of Qatar, more than 500 jewels at M7, and in November the first Rubaiya Qatar, a new contemporary art quadrennial.
The result is one of the fullest museum calendars in the Gulf this autumn, and a reasonable weekend trip from anywhere in the region. Here is what is on, with dates as announced.
On now: Uzbekistan at the Museum of Islamic Art
Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion runs from 3 September to 28 November 2026 at MIA. It is organised with the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, in partnership with Visit Qatar. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, inaugurated the MIA exhibitions on the evening of 2 September, according to the Qatar Tribune.
The show spans more than 1,000 years of Central Asian art and craft, with loans from MIA, other Qatari collections and 13 institutions in Uzbekistan. Its highlight is a seventh-century Sogdian wall painting from the Ambassadors’ Hall at Afrasiab, shown in Qatar for the first time, displayed alongside a silk jacket from MIA’s own collection. Reports give the number of objects as 146 (The Peninsula) or 140 (Qatar Tribune), in four sections that include costume and immersive installations, so about 140 is a safe description.
Shaika Al-Nassr, MIA’s director, said the museum does not simply display history but shares the heartbeat of a civilisation with the world. Gayane Umerova, chairperson of the Uzbek foundation, said the exhibition is a statement about where the partnership with Qatar is heading.
A companion exhibition, Ektashif: Uzbekistan, presents new work by seven Qatari artists: Aisha Al Muhannadi, Abdulla Al Fakhroo, Lina Al Aali, Maryam Abel, Ameena Al Boinin, The Nourah and Hameed Al Qahtani. They researched in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and respond to Timurid architecture, brickwork, ceramics and ikat textiles. Qatar Museums gives its closing date as 28 November, though the Qatar Tribune said 24 November, so check before a late visit.
From 25 October: Baghdad, Penone and the Maritime Silk Road
- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. What Lingers in the Artist’s Mind: The Experiments and Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, 25 October 2026 to 6 February 2027. Paintings, sculpture and archives, largely from Mathaf’s own collection.
- National Museum of Qatar. Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life, 26 October 2026 to 13 February 2027. Indoor and outdoor sculpture and installations on people’s relationship with nature.
- National Museum of Qatar. Boats Floating Afar: The Maritime Trade in Ancient Chinese Ceramics, 26 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. Chinese ceramics that travelled the Maritime Silk Road to the Arabian Gulf, courtesy of the National Museum of China.
The Mathaf show is the one to prioritise for readers interested in modern Arab art. Its subject, a group of Iraqi artists who experimented in the 20th century, is drawn mostly from the museum’s own holdings.
Fahad Bin Ali Palace
Three exhibitions run here from 26 October 2026 to 29 May 2027, which makes it the longest-running stop of the season:
- Wooden Doors of Qatar: From Storage to Story, historic doors and windows from the National Museum of Qatar’s collection.
- Atharna 2026: Life and Death in Pre-Islamic Qatar, recent finds from ancient burial sites in Qatar.
- Beyti Beytak / My Home Is Your Home, on hospitality and home, expanded after its presentation at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
M7: jewels, fashion and craft
From 27 October to 26 December 2026, M7 hosts three shows:
- Around the World in Jewellery, more than 500 jewellery objects from Qatar Museums’ collections.
- ERDEM: About Time, About Her, marking 20 years of the London fashion label.
- Expanded Tradition: Contemporary Craft Practices in Mexico.
For readers drawn to jewellery, the first of these is the show to see, and it is a rare chance to view so many pieces from Qatar’s collections in one place.
November: Design Doha and Rubaiya Qatar
- Design Doha, second edition. Design from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, across several venues, from 5 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. An earlier report gave 6 November, but the date above is Qatar Museums’ own.
- Tasweer Residency. As the Image Unfolds: The Language of Athar, Bayt Al Wakrah, 31 October to 15 December 2026.
- Rubaiya Qatar. The inaugural edition of a contemporary art quadrennial, with exhibitions, public art, performance and commissions across several venues, from 21 November 2026 to 30 April 2027. The sources read do not name its curators or artists, so the detail is still to come.
Planning a visit
The three flagship buildings are well known: MIA (designed by I. M. Pei, 2008), Mathaf (2010) and the National Museum of Qatar (designed by Jean Nouvel, 2019). Between them they host most of the season, and the dates cluster, which makes a single long weekend in late October or November the most efficient way to see several shows.
A suggested order for a three-day trip:
- Start at MIA for Uzbekistan and its Qatari companion show.
- Spend a morning at Mathaf for the Baghdad Modern Art Group.
- Give a half day to the National Museum of Qatar for Penone and the ceramics.
- Add M7 or Fahad Bin Ali Palace, depending on whether jewels or heritage appeal more.
Qatar Museums’ own Fall 2026 programme page remains the reference for any change, particularly for dates that were reported differently by the press. Ticketing and opening hours are not covered here, and visitors should confirm them before they go.
Sources: Qatar Museums, The Peninsula Qatar, Qatar Tribune, Marhaba