Art Basel Qatar announces 87 galleries for inaugural edition in February 2026

DOHA, Qatar, Oct. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Art Basel Qatar will feature 84 artist presentations by 87 galleries when the fair debuts in Doha next February. Presented in partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+, the fair – Art Basel's fifth globally – will be held from 5-7 February 2026 (with Preview Days 3-4 February). The 87 participants span 31 countries and territories, and 16 galleries will be showing with Art Basel for the first time – bringing new voices and perspectives onto our global platform.

Conceived under the curatorial direction of Egyptian-born artist Wael Shawky, Art Basel Qatar's first edition departs from the traditional booth model to present an open-format exhibition in which artist presentations respond to a central curatorial theme of Becoming. A meditation on humanity's constant transformation and the systems that shape how we live, believe, and create meaning, it will unfold across two key venues – M7 and the Doha Design District – as well as selected public sites in Msheireb Downtown Doha, the city's creative and cultural heart. Both the format and curatorial direction will foreground storytelling and dialogue, offering new ways for galleries, artists, and collectors to engage while maintaining strong market relevance.

Art Basel Qatar – with Visit Qatar as the fair's Lead Partner – will highlight the vitality of artistic production and the expanding gallery landscape across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. The strength of the regional presence in our first edition affirms Doha's position as a vibrant hub for cultural exchange, while linking the fair to Art Basel's global network of galleries, artists, and collectors.

• More than half of the artists presented in this first edition hail from the region, including Etel Adnan, Ali Banisadr, Simone Fattal, Ali Cherri, Meriem Bennani and Iman Issa.
• Galleries from across the region will participate, including those with locations in the Gulf (Qatar, U.A.E., Saudi Arabia), the wider Middle East (Lebanon, Turkey), North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia), and South Asia (India).
• Homegrown galleries from the region that are participating in their first Art Basel fair include Hafez Gallery (Jeddah, Riyadh), Gallery Misr (Cairo), Le Violon Bleu (Tunis), Saleh Barakat Gallery (Beirut), and Tabari Artspace (Dubai).
• International galleries from across Europe, the Americas, and Asia will participate, including Acquavella Galleries, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner and White Cube.

The full list of participating galleries available under artbasel.com/qatar/galleries
Art Basel Qatar is pleased to announce Visit Qatar as the Lead Partner of the inaugural edition. Qatar Airways is Art Basel's Premium Partner. Art Basel Qatar's Associate Partner is BMW. Art Basel Qatar's Official Partner is Zegna. Art Basel's Global Lead Partner is UBS.

Contact: press@artbasel.com 

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