Art Basel will stage a new art fair in Qatar, opening February 2026.
Art Basel Qatar – the fifth event in the firm’s calendar after the original Swiss edition, as well as fairs in Miami, Hong Kong and Paris – will be held at M7, an exhibition centre in the heart of Doha, as well as at the Doha Design District in downtown Msheireb.
Scheduling the new fair for February puts it at loggerheads with the Los Angeles edition of arch rival Frieze, as well as the India Art Fair in New Delhi – and will surely challenge priorities for some galleries.
The event will be in partnership with the government-run Qatar Sports Investments and QC+, the state’s cultural arm.
In a letter to stakeholders, in Arabic and English, Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz and director Vincenzo de Bellis paid homage to the emirate’s ruling family: ‘Under the stewardship of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Qatar stands as a proud center for culture and creativity and a home to world-class art collections.’
MCH Group, the parent company of Art Basel MCH returned to profitability in 2024, for the first time since 2016, with a net profit of $3.4 million. The turnaround comes after the company was forced to close luxury watch and jewellery show Baselworld in 2020, while annual design fair Masterpiece London was last staged in 2022 due to concerns over cost.
