Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, cultural commentator and patron of the arts

September 29, 2015 9:11 AM

In 2011, Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi (Arabic: سلطان سعود القاسمي‎) was lauded for his Twitter stream where he provided English translations of news and events of Arab Spring. A year earlier, the cultural commentator started the Barjeel Art Foundation, serving as a patron and promoter for artists from all over the Arab world: Syrian, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Jordanian, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. "I don't buy artworks that I think are pretty and aesthetically appealing," he says. "But I buy art that is politically meaningful." Arab Art Redefined: How art collector Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi is trying to change the narrative (2 minute slideshow with narration by Sultan Al-Qassemi on how he collects and shares art).
posted by filthy light thief (2 comments total)

I wanted to clarify that Al-Qassemi isn't just buying art (as you might imagine from the post, if you haven't read the linked material), he's making it public and accessible, in an effort to change the narrative (to borrow NPR's tagline) about current and past Arab culture. You can browse the collection online, and if you look at a particular piece on a computer (instead of a smart device), there's a fancy onmouseover magnifying lens tool that lets magnify details of the art.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:50 AM on September 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

The foundation's Home Ground is currently at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Worth seeing.
posted by scruss at 10:31 AM on September 29, 2015 [2 favorites]