Qatari Artist Yousef Ahmad is considered a pioneer for his significant contribution to the evolution of Modern and Contemporary art in Qatar. Observing the socio-economic, cultural, artistic and historical developments which his country witnessed during the 1970s and 1980s, Ahmad set upon himself the responsibility, as an art advisor and educator, to document the development of the art scene in Qatar.

Ahmad studied at Helwan University in Cairo where in 1976 he graduated with a BA in fine arts and education. He completed his Master’s degree in Fine Arts in the United States from Mills College in Oakland, California in 1982.

Ahmad’s work exists on the intersections of art, history, and society. From oil paintings to calligraphy composed of palm-tree paper, Yousef Ahmad is interested in creating a vernacular visual language. His paintings invite the audience to turn their gaze towards the past. Yet this nostalgia is not melancholic, endearing.

Between 1994 and 2007, Yousef was director of the Modern Art Museum which he established in Doha with Sheikh Hassan Al Thani. They were also responsible for creating the Qatar Orientalist Museum in 1992. He is currently art advisor and consultant to the Qatar Foundation as well as maintaining an impressive output of new work and new themes, using new techniques and experimental media.

Yousef Ahmed lives and works in Doha, Qatar.