Yousef Ahmad (; born January 1, 1955, in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

, Qatar) is a

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

i artist, art adviser, collector, writer and educator in the field of art. He is a leading figure of Qatar's cultural development and regularly represent his country at international biennials and events. His art work has been displayed internationally.

Early life and education

Ahmad was born in

Al Jasrah Al Jasrah () is a district in Qatar, located in the municipality of Ad Dawhah. It hosts Souq Waqif, one of the largest souqs in Qatar. Other points of interest in the district include Souq Jaidah, the Souq Waqif Falcon Hospital, the Souq Waqif ...

, a suburb of

, to a family of 3 sisters and 2 brothers. His mother was Maryam Al Baker, and his father, Ahmad Al-Homaid, worked as a pearl diver before joining

Qatar Petroleum QatarEnergy (), formerly Qatar Petroleum (QP), is a state-owned petroleum company of Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. The President and CEO is ...

. His neighborhood, Al Jasrah, was the hub of Qatari cultural life in the 1950s. It was home to significant families closely linked to the rulers and other tribes, and it became a meeting place for Ahmad and several other future artists, such as Jassim Zaini, Hassan Al Mulla, Ali Hassan, and Salman Al-Malik, among others. Their childhood stories and shared passion for art would lead to the establishment of Qatar's first art groups. By the time Ahmad finished primary school, the Ministry of Education began offering scholarships to Qatari artists to study abroad in Europe and the Middle East. He received a BA in Fine Art and Education from

Helwan University Helwan University is a public university based in Helwan, Egypt, which is part of Greater Cairo on over . It comprises 23 faculties and two higher institutes in addition to 50 research centers. Overview Helwan University is a member of the ...

in 1976. He studied under Gazbia Sirry during part of his tenure. He obtained a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

in California in 1982.

Career as an artist

His works have been described as realistic, because they document the local Qatari environment and traditions of its people. He became active in creating unique abstract paintings of

Arabic calligraphy Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of penmanship, handwriting and calligraphy based on the Arabic alphabet. It is known in Arabic language, Arabic as ''khatt'' (), derived from the words 'line', 'design', or 'construction'. Kufic is the ...

, which he develops through his personal interpretation of Arabic script. Since 1974, he has used textiles in his art works. These are primarily old-fashioned fabrics, which he feels is representative of what his ancestors wore. He is particularly known for producing large-scale works, using a wide range of colors and materials.Biography from Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
Various

natural landscapes A natural landscape is the original landscape that exists before it is acted upon by human culture. The natural landscape and the cultural landscape are separate parts of the landscape. However, in the 21st century, landscapes that are totally u ...

, such as deserts, marshes and ponds, are usually the main subjects of his paintings. He states that such themes reflect on

, the neighborhood where he grew up. His choice of colors and materials is also representative of natural landscape, often incorporating the color of the desert as well as

palm fronds Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

into his works. In 1977, he became the first Qatari artist to have a solo exhibition dedicated to hurufiyya art in Doha.Anima Gallery, "Yousef Ahmad," iographical Notes Online: http://www.animagallery.com/artists/yousef-ahmad/ He has been teaching art appreciation at

Qatar University Qatar University (; transliterated: Jami'at Qatar) is a public research university located on the northern outskirts of Doha, Qatar. It is the only public university in the country. The university hosts twelve colleges – Arts and Sciences, Bu ...

for more than twenty years. He also published a book, in 1986. It is called ''Al-Funoon at-Tashkeeliyyah al-Mu'aasirah fee Qatar (Contemporary Fine Arts in Qatar)'', and it documents pioneering artists, organizations and institutions at the time.

Career in Qatari government

After his graduation, he was first appointed as manager of the Culture and Arts Department within the Ministry of Information. While he was teaching at Qatar University, Ahmad met Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani. He worked with him to

collect The collect ( ) is a short general prayer of a particular structure used in Christian liturgy. Collects come up in the liturgies of Catholic, Lutheran, or Anglican churches, among others. Etymology The word is first seen as Latin ''collēcta'' ...

significant works of Arab art from Qatar and abroad. This led to the creation of the Orientalist Museum and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.Yousef Ahmad Art Story

Awards

*Baghdad International Festival for Arts ::Winner: 1986 *Ankara Biennial ::Referee's Award: 1986 *GCC Artists Exhibitions ::Gold Palm-Leaf: 1989, 1991, 1996, 1999 *First Tourists Exhibition (Doha) ::First prize: 1993 *Cairo Biennale ::Referee's Award: 1996, 1998 *Al Kharafi First International Biennial of Contemporary Arab Art ::Referee's Award: 2006

External links

About Yousef Ahmad

Yousef Ahmad on artnet

References