Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi has been appointed president of Sharjah Museums Authority.
The appointment was made under an Emiri Decree issued by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Sharjah Museums Authority oversees the emirate’s network of museums, spanning art, heritage, archaeology, science and Islamic civilisation. Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long placed cultural heritage, public access and institutional development at the centre of its identity.
The appointment expands Sheikha Hoor’s role in Sharjah’s cultural landscape. She is president and director of Sharjah Art Foundation, which she founded in 2009, and has served as director of Sharjah Biennial since 2003.
Under her leadership, the foundation has grown into one of the region’s most important contemporary art institutions, with a programme that includes exhibitions, commissions, residencies, publications, performances, screenings and education initiatives.
Her work has also been closely tied to Sharjah’s wider cultural infrastructure. She holds senior roles across several cultural and academic institutions in the emirate, including Sharjah Architecture Triennial, The Africa Institute, Global Studies University and University of the Arts Sharjah.
Speaking to The National last year in Japan, where she became the first non-Japanese artistic director of Aichi Triennale, Sheikha Hoor described her curatorial approach as rooted in collaboration. “It’s different each place but, for me, it’s always about teamwork,” she said. “I don’t like to impose anything. It’s collaborative.”
That approach has informed much of her international work, which has often connected artists from the UAE and wider region with institutions and audiences abroad. At Aichi Triennale, she placed Emirati artists including Mohammed Kazem, Afra Al Dhaheri, Shaikha Al Mazrou and Maitha Abdalla within a wider international programme.
She has also taken on a growing number of major international roles, including the Biennale of Sydney 2026. In 2025, she received the insignia of Officer in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and was named Alesco's Ambassador Extraordinary for Arab Culture for 2025–2026.
