al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art

We are pleased to announce the publication of three new collection finding aids to the Arab Art Archive Repository:

• Menhat Helmy Collection
• Salwa Zeidan Collection
• Feryal Matar Collection

These additions bring the total number of published finding aids in the repository to nine, marking another important step in expanding access to Arab art archives and research resources.

This first stage of publication focuses on text-based finding aids. In collaboration with the Digital Library Technology Services team, work is now underway to integrate digital images and archival materials into the records, further enhancing accessibility for researchers, students, and the wider public.

We extend our sincere thanks to Jonathan for his dedication to digitizing local materials and processing the collections’ digital assets, and to Mehri for her exceptional work in processing the Menhat Helmy Collection and contributing to its descriptive records. We also thank our Senior Investigator, Dr. Nada Shabout , and Principal Investigator Dr. Salwa Mikdadi for their careful review and guidance throughout the publication process.

These finding aids represent an important milestone in preserving, documenting, and sharing the histories of Arab art for future generations.

We were delighted to see our Senior Investigator, Dr. Nada Shabout , in conversation with Dr. Ridha Moumni at Christie’s London for On the Reception of Arab Art.

The discussion brought together scholarship, collecting, and institutional perspectives to reflect on the histories and evolving reception of Arab art within global contexts. As one of the field’s foremost scholars, Professor Shabout continues to shape critical conversations around modern and contemporary Arab art through her research, writing, and advocacy.

We were delighted to welcome workshop collaborators and contributors with
Nadin Atallah, Nadia von Maltzahn, and Olga Nefedova for weeks of exchange, research, and dialogue at the center and the museum.

Honored to welcome Professor Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab from the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies to Al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Arab Art. Her pioneering scholarship on contemporary Arab thought and intellectual history continues to shape critical discourse across the region and beyond.

Last night’s panel on the legacy of the Baghdad Modern Art Group was powerful, sharp, and deeply needed. We’re always learning from our Senior Investigator, Dr. Nada Shabout, and this incredible group of voices shaping the conversation around Iraqi modernism today

Today, we had the honor to host Dia al Azzawi at Al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art. A true pioneer of modern Arab art, an inspiring encounter with a living archive.

Looking back at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Research Fellows visiting our research center, an amazing opportunity of exchange. We learned about their research topics and they got a glimpse of our vision and mission.

Our Senior Investigator Dr. Nada Shabout in conversation with Chairperson Ridha Moumni

Visit our space at 2025!
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Reclaiming our narratives, one archive at a time.
al Mawrid is honored to be part of a conversation that keeps Arab modernism where it belongs, centered, studied, and spoken for.
Join us at Abu Dhabi Art on Nov 21.