Barjeel Art Foundation

What Barjeel Art Foundation does

Barjeel Art Foundation is a private non-profit cultural organization founded in 2010 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, by Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and exhibit modern and contemporary Arab art, with a permanent collection of over 1,300 works spanning more than 20 countries across the SWANA region. Mediums in the collection include painting (737 works), mixed media (177), photography (152), sculpture (72), video/multi-media (18), collage (15), installation (9), and other categories (165).

The foundation operates its core exhibition program at the Sharjah Art Museum under regular public visiting hours, and extends its reach through international art loans and collaborative exhibitions with partner institutions including Christie's London, SOAS University of London, Maraya Art Centre, Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), and the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris). A digital distribution layer is maintained via Google Arts & Culture and downloadable exhibition catalogues. Recent programming includes 'Kawkaba' at Christie's King Street (2023), 'Hudood: Rethinking Boundaries' at SOAS Gallery (2024, student-curated), and 'Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries' at Maraya Art Centre (2025).

As a non-profit, Barjeel is sustained through endowment and institutional support rather than commercial revenue. Its customer base consists of general public visitors, students and researchers, and museum/institutional partners borrowing works for exhibitions. The foundation employs 11 staff, has no disclosed technology platform or AI capabilities, and does not sell or license its collection. Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, appearing on Apollo's 40 Under 40 Global Collectors list, is the controlling figure and brand anchor.

Name

Barjeel Art Foundation

Legal name

Barjeel Art Foundation

Website

https://barjeelartfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barjeel Art Foundation is a Sharjah-based non-profit founded in 2010 that collects, preserves, and exhibits modern and contemporary Arab art through its permanent collection of 1,300+ works, a rotation program at Sharjah Art Museum, and international loans to partner museums and auction houses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum & Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Art collection management
• Modern art exhibitions
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Art museum operations
• Art lending services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharjah

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Operations: The Barjeel Art Foundation operates as a non-profit cultural institution focused on making Arab art accessible. Revenue generation is not the primary objective; the foundation sustains operations through endowment and institutional support rather than commercial revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Barjeel Art Foundation is a private non-profit cultural institution that collects, preserves, and exhibits modern and contemporary Arab art. It maintains a permanent collection of over 1,300 artworks from artists across 20+ countries, presents rotating exhibitions at Sharjah Art Museum and international partner venues, and lends works to museums and institutions globally to broaden access to Arab art.

Product overview

Barjeel Art Foundation is an art museum and cultural institution based in Sharjah, UAE. The foundation operates primarily as a physical and digital exhibition space for modern and contemporary Arab art. Its core offerings include an extensive collection database of over 1,000 artworks organized by artist, medium, and country; curated exhibition programs held at Sharjah Art Museum and international venues; an art loans program enabling global institutional access to its collection; and supporting resources including press materials and digital catalogues. The foundation does not offer a technology platform, software-as-a-service, or API-based products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barjeel Art Foundation Collection Database Online database of over 1,000 artworks from Arab artists across the 20th and 21st centuries, viewable by artist, country, medium, and exhibition. Designed for researchers, students, and the general public interested in exploring the foundation's collection.
• Exhibition Program Curated exhibitions showcasing modern and contemporary Arab art, held at Sharjah Art Museum and international venues including SOAS Gallery London and Christie's King Street. Open to the public free of charge.
• Art Loans Program Lending artworks from the Barjeel collection to museums and institutions worldwide to increase accessibility to Arab art. Used by institutions such as Mori Art Museum, Institut du Monde Arabe, Whitechapel Gallery, Christie's London, and SOAS University of London.
• Private Collection (Non-Arab Art) A curated selection of non-Arab artworks that complement and contextualize the main Arab art collection. Accessible to researchers and the public through the foundation's website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Collection spans 737 paintings plus extensive works in sculpture, photography, mixed media, installation, video, and collage

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maraya Art CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2025Joint exhibition Nadia Saikali and Her Contemporaries at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah from February 2, 2025 to July 12, 2025. Curated by Suheyla Takesh and Rémi Homs, the exhibition honors Nadia Saikali's artistic legacy.
• SOAS University of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2024Student-led curation collaboration for Hudood: Rethinking Boundaries exhibition at SOAS Gallery, London from July 11 - September 21, 2024. SOAS students curated contemporary art from the collection focusing on the theme of boundaries.
• Christie's LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2023Collaboration for Kawkaba exhibition at Christie's King Street, London from July 20 - August 23, 2023. The exhibition featured over 100 works from the Arab world, curated by Dr Ridha Moumni, Deputy Chairman of Christie's MENA. A 360-degree virtual tour was also offered.
• Sharjah Art MuseumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary exhibition venue for displaying Barjeel collection works to the public. Located in Sharjah with regular visiting hours.
• Mori Art MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContribution of works to Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World exhibition at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Guggenheim Abu Dhabi:
• Kaph Books: Independent art book publisher that has published Barjeel's exhibition catalogues (e.g., Hudood) and serves as an adjacent ecosystem partner enabling the foundation's curatorial reach through printed scholarship.

Broad incumbents

• Louvre Abu Dhabi: UAE-based universal art museum with state funding; competes with Barjeel for regional cultural visibility and visitor mindshare despite operating at much larger scale with a broader curatorial mandate.
• Mori Art Museum: Tokyo's leading contemporary art museum and a documented Barjeel lending partner (Arab Express exhibition); a larger, broader contemporary art institution that intersects with Barjeel only on its Arab art programming.

Regional players

• Sursock Museum: Beirut-based modern and contemporary art museum with a focus on Lebanese and regional Arab art, sharing a comparable curatorial mission around modern Arab artistic production, though operating primarily in a different national geography.

Direct peers

• Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art: Located in Doha, Qatar, Mathaf is the most directly comparable peer: a permanent museum institution dedicated to modern and contemporary Arab art with a permanent collection, rotating exhibitions, and a curatorial mandate that mirrors Barjeel's SWANA-focused mission.
• Sharjah Art Foundation: Headquartered in the same city as Barjeel, the Sharjah Art Foundation is a peer cultural institution focused on contemporary art in the region, presenting exhibitions, residencies, and commissions. It shares the same local ecosystem, audience, and Sharjah government support base.
• Whitechapel Gallery: London-based contemporary art gallery that has borrowed works from the Barjeel collection for Arab-themed exhibitions, sharing the international exhibition circuit and loan-partnership model that Barjeel pursues.
• Institut du Monde Arabe: Paris-based institution dedicated to Arab culture and art, which Barjeel has lent works to for Arab-focused exhibitions — a direct peer in curatorial mission, geographic reach, and SWANA-focused programming.
• Maraya Art Centre: Sharjah-based art centre that has co-hosted Barjeel exhibitions (Nadia Saikali & Her Contemporaries, 2025) and operates as a peer regional non-profit presenting contemporary Arab art exhibitions and cultural programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barjeelart
• YouTubeyoutube.com/barjeelartfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarjeelArtFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/barjeelart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barjeelartfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barjeel Art Foundation