Art institutions across many Gulf States shut amid missile strikes

Several galleries and museums are monitoring the West Asia crisis.

Limited flight operations might have resumed across several Gulf States but the full reopening of cultural institutions is yet to take place, including in the United Arab Emirates. In recent days, debris from intercepted Iranian missiles has also been reported over Saadiyat Island — Abu Dhabi’s cultural district that boasts major institutions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

In Qatar, several museums, including the renowned Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar, have been closed as a precautionary measure, as has the Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum. In Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), however, the National Museum continues to remain open.

In Dubai, while preparations are on for the 20th edition of Art Dubai, scheduled to take place from April 17 to 19 at Madinat Jumeirah, art institutions and galleries continue to remain shut. This includes the Jameel Arts Centre, which is a hub for contemporary art, offering exhibitions and educational programmes. Its website notes that the scheduled programmes will continue online.

On February 28, Alserkal Avenue — a cultural district and arts hub located in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai, spanning 500,000 sq ft, and comprising over 70 contemporary art galleries, including those representing Indian artists — put out a notice on its social media, stating, “This weekend’s events have been postponed until further notice”.

Several commercial art galleries in Dubai too remain shut. Speaking to The Indian Express, RN Singh, founder of Dubai-based Progressive Art Gallery, which has been shut since March 1, stated, “Right now, we are all closely monitoring the situation and hoping that conditions improve as soon as possible. Many galleries, including mine, are preparing for major exhibitions in Dubai to coincide with Art Dubai. My gallery is set to exhibit works by leading Indian contemporary artists, and all the artworks are already in Dubai. We are keeping our fingers crossed that things normalise. We were also planning reciprocal programmes between artists in the Middle East and India, but those plans too have been put on hold for the time being.”

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

Limited flight operations might have resumed across several Gulf States but the full reopening of cultural institutions is yet to take place, including in the United Arab Emirates. In recent days, debris from intercepted Iranian missiles has also been reported over Saadiyat Island — Abu Dhabi’s cultural district that boasts major institutions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

In Qatar, several museums, including the renowned Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar, have been closed as a precautionary measure, as has the Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum. In Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), however, the National Museum continues to remain open.

In Dubai, while preparations are on for the 20th edition of Art Dubai, scheduled to take place from April 17 to 19 at Madinat Jumeirah, art institutions and galleries continue to remain shut. This includes the Jameel Arts Centre, which is a hub for contemporary art, offering exhibitions and educational programmes. Its website notes that the scheduled programmes will continue online.

On February 28, Alserkal Avenue — a cultural district and arts hub located in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai, spanning 500,000 sq ft, and comprising over 70 contemporary art galleries, including those representing Indian artists — put out a notice on its social media, stating, “This weekend’s events have been postponed until further notice”.

Several commercial art galleries in Dubai too remain shut. Speaking to The Indian Express, RN Singh, founder of Dubai-based Progressive Art Gallery, which has been shut since March 1, stated, “Right now, we are all closely monitoring the situation and hoping that conditions improve as soon as possible. Many galleries, including mine, are preparing for major exhibitions in Dubai to coincide with Art Dubai. My gallery is set to exhibit works by leading Indian contemporary artists, and all the artworks are already in Dubai. We are keeping our fingers crossed that things normalise. We were also planning reciprocal programmes between artists in the Middle East and India, but those plans too have been put on hold for the time being.”