Art Basel Qatar opens in Doha as dealers look to Gulf amid market slump

The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar is set to open on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, featuring 87 exhibitors from 31 countries and territories. The fair begins with two V.I.P. preview days and will be open to the public from Thursday through Saturday, according to the New York Times report published Feb.

2, 2026. Art Basel Qatar’s artistic director, the artist Wael Shawky, asked galleries to present works by a single artist responding to the fair’s theme, “Becoming,” a biennial-style approach that organizers say encouraged engaged presentations. Several galleries, including London’s October Gallery and David Zwirner, are exhibiting; the Mumbai-based gallery Chemould Prescott Road and other international visitors said they plan to attend.

The launch comes as the art trade faces a sales slump that some dealers say has lasted more than two years, prompting interest in the Persian Gulf’s wealthy residents and expat communities as an alternative to saturated U.S. and European markets. Exhibitors and advisers quoted in the article said the region — with hubs in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha — offers new collecting opportunities, and auction houses have expanded activity there, including Sotheby’s recent events in Abu Dhabi and a December auction in Diriyah that set a new high for a Saudi artist.

art basel qatar, doha art market, wael shawky, becoming theme, david zwirner booth, october gallery london, chemould prescott road, sotheby's abu dhabi, diriyah auction, qatar art acquisitions, art mill museum doha, al markhiya gallery, gulf collectors