Mr. Tariq Al Jaidah

Tariq Al Jaidah is a Qatari businessman, cultural entrepreneur, art collector and patron who has played an active role in the development of Qatar’s contemporary art ecosystem. His engagement with the arts spans more than three decades, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary art from the Arab region and Iran.

Al Jaidah began collecting art in the early 1990s and has since built the TAJ Collection, comprising around 500 works and recognized as an important private collection of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art. His collecting interests encompass painting, sculpture, photography and historical artefacts, with particular attention to works reflecting the cultural, political and social narratives of the region.

Alongside his work as a collector, Al Jaidah has been closely involved in developing Qatar’s cultural and creative ecosystem. In 2007, he established the Waqif Art Centre, described as Qatar’s first commercial art gallery, and subsequently founded the Katara Art Center, creating platforms for artists, cultural practitioners and emerging collectors. More recently, he established Wusum, a commercial gallery launched in 2023 to support emerging Qatari artists and encourage a new generation of local collectors.

Through these initiatives and his broader entrepreneurial activities, Al Jaidah has sought to strengthen the links between artistic production, cultural entrepreneurship and the development of a sustainable art market in Qatar. His work reflects a long-standing commitment to supporting artists and expanding the role of private collectors and cultural enterprises in the region’s creative economy.