National Museum of Qatar wins two LCD Berlin Awards

The National Museum of Qatar is the only cultural destination in the world to have won two prestigious LCD Berlin Awards for 2020: a New Culture Destinations of the Year award in the â€˜Middle East and Africaâ€™ category and a Leading Culture Destinations of the Year award for Best Museum Shop.

Now in their sixth edition, the LCD Awards highlight the worldâ€™s best established and emerging cultural destinations, recognizing their exceptional contribution to cultural life. The New Culture Destinations of the Year awards highlight the significant role of culture in changing the perception of towns and cities and influencing their future development. While the Leading Culture Destinations of the Year awards highlight the experiential shift of cultural destinations into social hubs where visitors can explore, dine, shop, work â€“ and even sleep.

Ahmad Al Namla, CEO at Qatar Museums, said: â€œSince the National Museum of Qatar opened last year, it has been widely acclaimed as a leading example of modern architecture which, through its exhibitions and offerings, has given citizens, residents, and visitors a unique opportunity to engage in the countryâ€™s history and development. We are honored that LCD Berlin has chosen the museum and its gift shop to be the recipient of the New Culture Destinations of the Year (Middle East/Africa) and Leading Culture Destinations of the Year â€“ Best Museum Shop.â€

In a joint statement, the jury noted: â€œThe 2020 LCD Berlin Awards shine a light on culture, art and travel, showcasing unique cultural experiences around the world. From local to global perspectives, the winners of the 2020 awards offer new and exciting opportunities to explore our relationship with public spaces, tradition, and identity. Over the years, the LCD Awards have offered a unique platform for the winners to showcase their cultural assets and reach global travelers wishing to immerse themselves in arts and culture. These winning destinations and institutions showcase just how deep the symbiosis between art, culture, and travel is.â€

The winners of the LCD Berlin Awards 2020 were selected by a distinguished international jury comprised of Matthew Anderson, European culture editor for The New York Times; Helena Egan, Tourism and Place-making Specialist; Dr. Martin Heller, Cultural Advocate and Art Patron; Oliver Jahn, Editor-in-Chief, AD Architectural Digest; Meryanne Loum-Martin, Founder of AFRÆŽEculture.org; Dr.Thierry Morel, Director, Curator-at-large and Board Member of the Hermitage Foundation; Artist Ahmet Ogut; and Salma Tuqan, Deputy Director of the Delfina Foundation.

See all the winners of the LCD Berlin Awards here.

National Museum of Qatar

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the National Museum of Qatar tells the story of the countryâ€™s heritage and culture through commissioned films and artworks, storytelling, artifacts, and music, combining wide-ranging scholarship with the voices of the people of Qatar. The National Museum is organized as a thematic and chronological sequence of galleries, which take the visitor on a 1.5-km (9-mile) journey through immersive, multisensory experiences. The new building is based on the form of the desert rose, composed of large interlocking disks of different diameters and curvatures that surround the restored historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani (1880-1957), son of the founder of modern Qatar.

View of the restored historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani together with the new National Museum of Qatar designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel / Photo credit: Iwan Baan, Â© National Museum of Qatar

View of the restored historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani together with close-up view of the new National Museum of Qatar designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel / Photo credit: Iwan Baan, Â© National Museum of Qatar

The new National Museum of Qatar designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel / Photo credit: Iwan Baan, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Biodiversity exhibits in Qatarâ€™s Natural Environments gallery / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Core Chronology in The Archaeology of Qatar gallery / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Life in Al Barr (Desert) gallery showing the Bait Al Shar (tent) and Abderrahmane Sissako film in the background / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Life on the Coast â€“ Nafas/Breathe dir. by Mira Nair / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The Formation of the Qatar Peninsula gallery / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Motherland, Sheikh Hassan Al Thani / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The Coming of Oil gallery â€“ film dir. by Doug Aitken / Photo credit: Danica Kus Â© National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar. Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Life on the Coast gallery â€“ Al Zubarah exhibits and film dir. by Abderrahmane Sissako / Photo credit: Danica Kus, Â© National Museum of Qatar

Museum Shop

The organic design and extraordinary craftsmanship of Nouvel's architecture echoes that of the museum shop where Japanese interior designer Koichi Takada communicates his vision of bringing nature back into architecture through a magnificent design of honey-hued timber curves, inspired by Qatarâ€™s Dahl Al Misfir (Cave of Light). 40,000 individual pieces of wood were assembled by hand, like a puzzle, by the Italian master carpenter, Claudio Devoto, and his team of artisans. The gift shop at the National Museum of Qatar offers a large collection of well-designed, exclusive gifts, many of which draw their inspiration from the history, heritage and culture of Qatar. The shop, operated by IN-Q Enterprises â€” the commercial arm of Qatar Museums â€” collaborates with local artists and designers to develop authentic and original merchandise.