Sheikha Al Mayassa: ‘Art is very powerful because it has no boundaries’ | CNN

02:35 - Source: CNN

Sheikha Al Mayassa: 'Art has no boundaries'

Editor’s Note: CNN Style launches on Saturday April 9 at 0830 EDT on CNN International.

Story highlights

Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa is one of the most influential women in art

She's rumored to have a purchasing budget of $1 billion a year

She considers the exhibitions she commissions an 'informal way of education' for locals and tourists

CNN —

With a rumored annual purchasing budget of $1 billion, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is one of the most powerful women in the art world – and one of the most secretive.

The Qatari royal is consistently reticent to discuss her personal collection and acquisitions on behalf of the State of Qatar, (“We could have bought the works that you think we’ve bought, we could have not bought it,” she says when pressed on the subject), and rarely does interviews.

In fact, this interview with CNN Style is her first on-camera interview in two years.

Art from an outsider

Largely, Sheikha Al Mayassa’s work speaks for itself. As chair chairperson of Qatar Museums, she’s brought the world’s leading contemporary artists – including Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami and Richard Serra – to the region, and she’s thought to have overseen Qatar’s $300-million purchase of Paul Gaugin’s “When Will You Marry,” the most expensive painting ever sold, in 2015.

Damien Hirst, The Immortal, 1997 - 2005, Shark, steel, glass, silicone and formaldehyde solution 102.75 x 202.5 x 96 in (2610 x 5142 x 2438 mm)

GION

Exterior of Al Riwaq Exhibition Hall, Doha, Qatar, 2012

Qatar Museums

Installation View of Murakami -- Ego, 2012, Al Riwaq, Doha, Qatar

Qatar Mueums

Installation View of Murakami -- Ego, 2012, Al Riwaq, Doha, Qatar

Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, 2007, Platinum, diamonds and human teeth, 6.75 x 5 x 7.5 in (171 x 127 x 190 mm)

Cristiano Mascaro

Richard Serra, 7, 2011, Steel, Seven plates, each: 24.4 m x 2.4 m x 10.2 cm, Installation in Museum of Islamic Art Park, Doha, Qatar

Photo by Wen-You Cai, courtesy Cai Studio

Under Heaven - 2902VT0149, 2015, Oil on Canvas, aluminum, Xu Zhen -- What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China, 2016

Photo by Wen-You Cai, courtesy Cai Studio

Wu Zei, 2010, Metal structure, silicone, sponge, gauze, rice paper, varnish, resin, various objects, 740 x 2100 x 2100 cm by Huang Yongping, part of What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China 2016

Yasser Arafat, 2012, watercolor on paper, 51 x 36 cm

YAN Pei-Ming, Rafic Hariri (14 February 2005, Beirut), 2012, oil on canvas, 200 x 300 cm

In March 2016, she inaugurated What About the Art? Contemporary Art from China, a new exhibition at Gallery Al Riwaq curated by Chinese artist Cai Guo Qiang. These international exhibitions offer what Sheikha Al Mayassa calls an “informal way of education” that exposes locals and tourists alike to new ways of thinking.

“Art is very powerful because it has no boundaries and you don’t need to belong to any country or religion or social class,” she says. “It brings people from all walks of life together to talk about an idea.”

In the video above, her first on-screen interview in two years, Sheikha Al Mayassa explains the importance of art in Islamic culture, and why the art world is more international than ever.

CNN Style launches on Saturday April 9 at 1330 BST / 1430 CET on CNN International.