Acclaimed architect previews vision for Lusail Museum

Swiss Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jacques Herzog shared plans for Qatar Museums’ (QM) proposed Lusail Museum at an event at Club Suisse Doha (CSD) on Sunday in recognition of the UN General Assembly International Day of Banks. The forum focused on bilateral relations between Switzerland and Qatar in the areas of business and innovation, as well as cultural exchange, a QM statement said. Hosted by the Swiss ambassador Edgar Doerig, the event was presented under the patronage of the Qatar Central Bank Governor HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed al-Thani.The event was attended by international chairs and CEOs of banks and financial service companies as well as Qatari dignitaries including QM Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Lusail Museum President, HE Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Ali bin Saud al-Thani.The Lusail Museum will be constructed in Lusail, the home of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, the statesman, diplomat, and poet who was the founder of Qatar. QM is scheduled to break ground on the new Lusail Museum in 2023.Through vast and diverse collections, the Lusail Museum will tell nuanced stories about different groups of people connected across the Indian Ocean, focusing on themes of movement, identity, and exchange, while serving as a forum for much-needed dialogue about global challenges.QM is currently showcasing a special exhibition at QM Gallery Al Riwaq, Lusail Museum: Tales of a Connected World, which previews the vision for the new museum. The exhibition presents plans for the Lusail Museum, its architectural design, and its world-class collection of art. The exhibition sheds light on the past, present, and future of Lusail by showcasing 247 artefacts.The central space in the exhibition is dedicated to the architecture of the new museum. This space is curated by the firm Herzog & de Meuron and presents the design process through wall projections and a large floor installation showcasing working models, concept images, and material samples. The room also includes a newly commissioned model of the Museum. Accompanying Tales of a Connected World are three additional special exhibitions—presented at the Garage Gallery, Fire Station, QM Gallery Katara, and the Museum of Islamic Art—that give additional insights into the scope and viewpoint to be encountered in the new Lusail Museum.The three accompanying exhibitions, which tell diverse stories of the world, are: Experience Al Jazeera, on view at the Garage Gallery, Fire Station; Labour of Love: Embroidering Palestinian History, on view at QM Gallery Katara; and Raku Kichizaemon XV: Jikinyū’ – A Living Tradition of Japanese Pottery, on view at the Museum of Islamic Art, which displays a set of fourteen ceremonial tea bowls inspired by Qatar’s natural environment and people, featuring the poetry of Sheikh Jassim.The Lusail Museum will be located on Al Maha Island, Lusail, complementing the newly opened Lusail Wonderland Park developed in association with Estithmar Ventures and IMG, in collaboration with Qatar Tourism and Qatari Diar, the statement added.