Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi on art: Two Arab Sheikhs by Munira Nusseibeh

As the UAE celebrates the opening of Zayed National Museum – a space dedicated to honouring the legacy of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – it’s worth looking back at how artists have captured the likeness of this towering figure who left an indelible mark on all our lives.

Among them is Palestinian artist Munira Nusseibeh, who spent about 15 years in the UAE between 1968 and 1983. Her time in the country made her a witness to Abu Dhabi’s rapid development and the wider transformation unfolding under Sheikh Zayed’s leadership. In her painting Two Arab Sheikhs, from the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Nusseibeh depicts Sheikh Zayed alongside Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan (1930–1989), a pivotal figure in Abu Dhabi and the UAE during the 1980s as deputy prime minister.

Munira Nusseibeh's Two Arab Sheikhs (1978). Photo: Munira Nusseibeh

Another work by Nusseibeh, Serenity (1973) – which is part of the Barjeel Art Foundation collection and now hangs in the Etihad Museum’s Observers of Change exhibition – captures Sheikh Zayed’s characteristic contemplative personality and inner peace. The artist’s use of sand and tar from Abu Dhabi gestures towards his deep-rootedness in his home emirate and the UAE at large.

Her portrayals of the country and Sheikh Zayed are particularly significant as Nusseibeh counts among the first professional artists to have met both Sheikh Zayed and Mother of the Nation Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.

There are few documented examples of Emirati artists painting Sheikh Zayed, with Mohammed Al Ansari, Moosa Al Halyan and Feryal Matar among the only known to me. Many of these works were gifted abroad during official visits, raising the question of whether they might one day be retrieved and placed in our museums – and in the Zayed National Museum in particular.

The Zayed National Museum has the potential to instil in younger generations the wisdom, kindness and generosity exemplified by the nation's Founding Father, Al Qassemi writes. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

Qatari artist Jassim Zaini’s Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1983) shows the leader raising his right hand in greeting as Emiratis gather in festive celebration, surrounded by banners bearing Nabati verses such as “A band that stands together is never humiliated” and “Ask not about us or how you met us; ask history and time about who we are”.

Behind him rises Abu Dhabi’s skyline, including the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Mosque, still standing today in the Al-Hisn area. Zaini, who trained in Baghdad under artists including Faeq Hassan and Hafidh al-Droubi, drew inspiration from the Iraqi capital’s murals. Sadly, this painting – commissioned for the first Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Doha in November 1983 – has been missing for years, reportedly lost during a hotel renovation.

The inauguration of Zayed National Museum fills a major gap in the UAE’s museum landscape: the story of the formation of Emirati identity, embodied by Sheikh Zayed himself. Until now, young Emiratis lacked a dedicated destination to learn the story not only of the Founding Father, but also of the nation. While the seven emirates have their own local museums, and Dubai’s Etihad Museum offers a focused narrative, none match the breadth of the new institution.

The Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

This inauguration has been a moment to celebrate – but also a moment to reflect on who we were, who we are and who we hope to become. Zayed National Museum has the potential to instil in younger generations – especially those who did not grow up during Sheikh Zayed’s lifetime – the wisdom, kindness and generosity he exemplified, qualities we should continuously aspire to.

Sixteen years ago, I wrote in The National that while Sheikh Zayed was alive, there was no need to preserve Emirati identity, for he embodied it. Today, 21 years after his passing, the Zayed National Museum can not only safeguard Emirati culture and identity, but also inspire young Emiratis to draw from his teachings and apply them to a rapidly changing world.