Art Basel in Qatar 2026, February 4

Conversations | Leaders of change: How is patronage shaping new art ecosystems?

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Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia, and Qatar Leadership Centre, and Co-Chair Fashion Trust Arabia&nbsp; Maja Hoffmann, Founder and President, Luma Foundation, Zurich Moderator: Hans Ulrich Obrist,&nbsp;Artistic Director, Serpentine, London What new institutions are needed for the 21st century? What allows long-term cultural ambition to remain open, adaptive, and publicly accountable? In this conversation, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Maja Hoffmann explored how ambition, infrastructure, and sustained commitment operate&nbsp;across national strategies, institution-building, and artist-led models. Moderated by Serpentine’s Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist, the panel examined how different forms of patronage can shape cultural frameworks that are resilient, credible, and attuned to the publics they serve. Her&nbsp;Excellency&nbsp;Sheikha Al&nbsp;Mayassa&nbsp;bint&nbsp;Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani&nbsp;serves her country in the fields of culture, education, and philanthropy, taking a leadership role in Qatar’s program of human, social, and economic development and environmental sustainability. Sheikha Al&nbsp;Mayassa&nbsp;has served as the chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM) since its founding in 2005, overseeing the development of its network of museums and exhibition galleries. Under her leadership, QM&nbsp;maintains&nbsp;one of the world’s largest public art programs and preserves Qatar’s historical sites and buildings. Maja Hoffmann&nbsp;is the&nbsp;founder and&nbsp;president of the Luma Foundation and the&nbsp;founder of&nbsp;Luma Arles. She is&nbsp;the president of the&nbsp;Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles<a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fondation-vincentvangogh-arles.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7CSimon.sixou%40artbasel.com%7C1cd0d40faf514f05a3e808de425f8845%7C4deb802ffdf24ebeae9b8df74fb06435%7C0%7C0%7C639021175472149592%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=IkaJ7DAQbt7WyP6g99rtSbg9vN%2BdzD9dZSBdV5JY5vY%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">&nbsp;</a>and a cofounder of&nbsp;Atelier Luma&nbsp;and the&nbsp;MIT–Luma&nbsp;Lab. Together, these initiatives form one of today’s most significant international cultural projects, supporting innovative artistic, cultural, scientific, and ecological practices. Hans Ulrich Obrist&nbsp;is the artistic director&nbsp;of&nbsp;Serpentine&nbsp;in London, and the senior advisor at LUMA Arles. Prior to this, he was the curator of the&nbsp;Musée&nbsp;d’Art&nbsp;Moderne&nbsp;de la Ville de Paris. Since his first show ‘World Soup (The Kitchen Show)’ in 1991, he has curated more than 350 exhibitions. Obrist’s&nbsp;recent&nbsp;publications include&nbsp;James Lovelock: Ever Gaia&nbsp;(2023);&nbsp;Remember to Dream&nbsp;(2023); and&nbsp;Une&nbsp;vie&nbsp;in progress&nbsp;(2023).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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