Qatar France Year of Culture puts Focus on Finesse

Qatar Museums (QM) joined with the French Embassy in Doha to announce a wide-ranging programme of exhibitions, festivals, bilateral exchanges, and events to be held in both nations over the next 12 months, in celebration of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture.

While 2019, was a year of colour, music, sustainable fashion, drama and a lot of hullabaloo and fun when Qatar Museums celebrated the Qatar India Year of Culture, the year 2020 and the Qatar France Year of Culture promises to be quiet, refined and a well-planned and curated year of culture. The Embassy of France has taken pains to highlight every aspect of their culture; musical concerts, cuisine, art and architecture through its year-long events schedule. The Qatar France Year of Culture takes the Festival across Doha shores to France with events like the artist’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, screenings of Qatari short films at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, and participation of Qatari designers at the Maison & Objet in Paris.

Each year since 2012, Qatar Museums has collaborated with a different nation to produce a specially curated Year of Culture, promoting mutual understanding across borders while providing opportunities for the people of each nation to encounter and appreciate one another’s creativity. In this ninth annual program, the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture builds on strong, substantial, already existing ties between the two nations to produce a series of experiences of remarkable excitement.

His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, said “Although Qatar is always reaching out to people around the world and welcoming the world to Qatar, it is especially gratifying to us to enjoy the sustained, focused activity made possible by our Year of Culture. We are grateful to our partners in both countries for their enthusiastic cooperation in putting together the truly exceptional program that we now announce for Qatar-France 2020. We look forward to showing the best of Qatar in France, the best of France in Qatar, and inviting the people of both nations to share their thoughts and experiences and deepen their mutual connections.”

HE Franck Gillette, Ambassador of the Republic of France to the State of Qatar, said, “The Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture will continue the advances in mutual understanding, friendship and support that our nations are so proud to have achieved. In the past year alone, we exchanged visits of high-level delegations and signed seven important agreements in defense, security, higher education, and culture. The dynamic bilateral trade between our nations is flourishing, having increased only recently by a remarkable 33 percent for the year, and the Institut Français du Qatar has just celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. By encompassing visual arts, music, cinema, sport, literature, and scholarly and scientific exchanges, Qatar-France 2020 will broaden these existing relationships among our people while elevating them to an even higher level.”

The Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture will be inaugurated with a grand opening ceremony at the Katara Opera House on January 10. Marc Piollet, one of the most exciting and versatile conductors of his generation, will lead the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in a compelling program of French classics.

Calendar of Events:

Dates and locations	Events
January Location: Doha, DECC	Doha International Book Fair: France guest of honor. French pavilion in partnership with FNAC, Qatar National Library and the Center for National Monuments (CMN).  Exhibitions (Enlightenment Age, rare books from Qatar National Library, virtual visit of La Conciergerie, first palace of kings of France) Books: coffee table books on French historical monuments and classics from the 18th century (Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot…) Workshops for the children Evening lectures
January Location: Doha, Katara Opera house	Opening ceremony concert: Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, French conductor Marc Piollet and pianist Lise de la Salle. Program: French and Qatari composers
January Location: Doha, QNL	Concert of French chamber music by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (Fauré, Debussy)
January Location: Doha, Msheireb museums	The Night of Ideas: a multidisciplinary debate mixing Culture and Science (theme: “Being Alive”) in cooperation with Msheireb Museums, Sidra Hospital, Hamad bin Khalifa University, and Qatar Foundation. Panelists: Dr. Amal Mohammed Al-Malki, Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad bin Khalifa University Guillian Graves, designer, and teacher at French national superior school of industrial creation Dr. Khalid Fakhro, Director- Precision Medicine Program, Laboratory of Genomic Medicine, Sidra Hospital Doha Marc Jones, Assistant Professor in Middle East Studies and Digital Humanities, College of Humanities and Social Science Patrick Walsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
February Location: Paris, Palais de Tokyo	Exhibition: “Our world is Burning” (group show including two Qatari artists: Bouthayna Al Muftah and Faraj Daham)
February Location: Clermont-Ferrand film festival	Screenings of short films made in Qatar and supported by Doha Film Institute at Clermont-Ferrand film festival
February Location: Doha, Katara Opera House	Concert by Qatar Philharmonic orchestra (Ravel, “Daphnis et Chloé”)
March Location: Doha, Katara Opera House	“Paris cultural magnet extraordinaire” mixed conference and concert in partnership with Qatar Music Academy. The musicians will give glimpses of major musical events that took place in Paris from 1830 through to the middle of the 20th century
March Location: Doha, Fire Station	Exhibition: “Picasso’s studios” with dozens of artworks coming from the Musée National Picasso-Paris collection
March-April Location: Doha, Fire Station (auditorium)	Screenings of “Parade”. A film of the 1917 ballet imagined by Diaguilev and the Ballets Russes with music by Eric Satie, argument by Jean Cocteau and decors and costumes by Pablo Picasso. Reinterpreted by the Europa Danse company.
March Location: Doha, Mathaf	Exhibition of the Franco-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada
March Location: Doha, Al Thuraya Planetarium, Katara Cultural Village	Special programme: films and workshops on astronomy in partnership with Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse
April Location: Doha, Museum of Islamic arts	Concert of French chamber music by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra: “April in Paris” (Debussy & Ravel)
April Location: Doha, IDAM restaurant and Museum of Islamic arts’ Library	Goût de France, a gastronomy event and exhibition. IDAM’s chef will recreate ancient recipes inspired by famous French chefs and the masterpieces of the Museum of Islamic arts’ collection. A series of French gastronomy books will also be displayed at the library.
April Location: Doha, QNL	Concert of French chamber music by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra: “Nuit française, beau soir” (Ravel & Debussy)
Spring Location: Paris	“Women empowerment: the case of Qatar” panel discussion in partnership with HBKU and Sciences Po Paris
June Location: Institut du monde Arabe, Paris	Selection of films co-produced by Doha Film Institute and France at Institut du monde Arabe
September-December Location: Doha, QNL	“French illuminations”, exhibition in partnership between QNL and BNF-French National Library
October  Location: Doha, Qatar Green Building Council	“Cities and climate change”: conference during Qatar Sustainability Week, in partnership with Qatar Green Buildings Council
October-December Location: Doha, QNL	Tribute to the photography: “A discovery put to the service of all: Louis Lumière”, the exhibition on photography and orientalism
October Location: Doha, National Museum of Qatar	French Modern art exhibition curated by renowned art historian Catherine Grenier.
October Location: Doha, Museum of Islamic arts	French cinema: Tribute to Agnès Varda (Doha Film Institute)
October – January Location: Doha, Al Riwaq gallery	Exhibition of acclaimed contemporary French artist Philippe Parreno
November Location: Doha, Katara	Concert: the French National Jazz Orchestra at the opening of Katara European Jazz Festival (15 musicians on stage)
November Location: Doha, Katara	Ajyal festival: a selection of French short films co-curated by Clermont-Ferrand Festival and Doha Film Institute
December Location: Doha, QNCC (Education City)	The final concert of the year of culture, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and French conductor Christophe Rousset.