Gerhard Richter Doha Pavilion | Opening Date & Design Facts

Architectural Vision in Doha

Gerhard Richter will open a permanent pavilion dedicated to his work in Doha this November. Qatar Museums announced the project yesterday at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. The venue functions as both an architectural piece and a gallery space. It stands in a waterside park between the existing Museum of Islamic Art and the planned Art Mill Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani chairs Qatar Museums and leads the project. She noted the pavilion provides a three-dimensional experience of the artist's work. The concept dates back to a 2013 visit Richter made to the region. The structure occupies a site designed to link major cultural landmarks in the Qatari capital.

Design and Construction Details

Annabelle Selldorf collaborated with the 94-year-old artist to finalize the design. The pavilion features an irregular six-sided shape. Natural light enters the structure through a central oculus. Visitors will encounter three large Strip paintings and a Strip Tower sculpture inside the space. These pieces share a specific origin.

Richter based the exterior patterns on his 1990 work, Abstract Painting (724-4). He digitized the painting years ago, slicing it into 8,192 distinct strips. This process of re-ordering the image informs both the exterior mosaic-like aesthetic and the interior sculptures. Two works from his Mirror series, which he developed in the 1980s, will also feature in the display.

Context and Future Programming

Selldorf describes the building as a functional sculpture. She notes that the mirrors on the interior walls place visitors in a continuous dialogue with the art and themselves. While Richter did not travel to Berlin for the announcement, his wife, the artist Sabine Moritz, and his daughter Ella attended. The artist stated in a press release that Doha's architectural history helped him connect the threads of his recent work.

Qatar Museums is planning a large retrospective exhibition of the artist to follow the pavilion's opening. Sheikha Al-Mayassa confirmed the project alongside the announcement of the Rubaiya Qatar quadrennial titled Unruly Waters. This exhibition is set to open on 21 November, running through April. Around 60 artists will participate in the quadrennial. The pavilion will open to the public on the same day as the Rubaiya launch, marking a significant addition to the local arts infrastructure.