ART BASEL QATAR 2026

Born in Beirut to a Greek mother and Syrian father, Adnan lived between Lebanon, Paris, and California. Though celebrated as a writer and philosopher, painting became her universal language. Beginning in the late 1950s, she used a palette knife to build vivid blocks of colour into distilled landscapes—mountains, horizons, rising suns–echoing sites such as Mount Tamalpais in California, the Mediterranean Sea, and the mountains of Lebanon, each rendered through her poetic lens.

In Doha, this presentation offers a meaningful opportunity to revisit Etel Adnan’s legacy from within the Arab world. Although she lived much of her life abroad, Adnan remained deeply connected to the region through her engagement with Arab modernism, anti-colonial thought, and her explorations of identity and geography. The works on view span decades and mediums, including canvas, paper, tapestry, and ceramic. Bringing her radiant and influential practice to a region she deeply cherished yet remained underrepresented in during her lifetime, the presentation also introduces Adnan to a new generation of collectors, curators, and scholars who are actively expanding the narrative of global modernism to include diasporic and transnational perspectives. Conceived as both an homage to her legacy and a space of connection between her vision and the cultural landscape of the Gulf, this focused solo booth underscores the enduring relevance and poetic power of her work.