Qatar covers Venice with money: 50 million to the municipality. Here's what it will get in return

From Qatar comes a mountain of money to the Municipality of Venice. In fact, the emirate has donated as much as 50 million euros to the Municipality of Venice aimed, the entity says, at meeting the city’s pressing needs in managing its unique and complex heritage. Venice, as is well known, faces extraordinary costs to preserve its physical integrity and cultural heritage, maintain services for residents and visitors, and sustain its socio-economic vitality. These rising costs are increasingly weighing on the city’s budgets, making external financial interventions essential. Qatar’s donation thus represents a breath of fresh air for Venice. Against what, however?

Meanwhile, the City Hall lets it be known that a cooperation protocol has already been signed with Qatar Museums, the entity that manages the emirate’s museums. The agreement is aimed at strengthening collaboration in the cultural and socioeconomic sectors and improving the conditions of knowledge and mutually encouraging economic investment, with a focus on the areas of art, conservation, sustainability, sports and entertainment. The agreement was announced on the day Qatar Airways resumed direct service between Doha and Venice’s Marco Polo Airport.

And then, Qatar’s new national pavilion will most likely be built at the Giardini della Biennale : that, at least, is the hope of the emirate, which has bluntly proposed the creation of the pavilion right there where other nations have historically had their pavilions, and where no Arab country’s representation other than Egypt is currently listed. And again, Qatar Museums, which also aims to promote Arab creatives in film, fashion, design, art and photography on the world stage, will work to bring Arab artists to the Biennale.

“Qatar and Italy over the decades have had a very strong relationship in multiple fields,” said Qatar Museums President Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. “The signing of our Cooperation Protocol with the City of Venice brings our nations closer together, forging a culturally strategic alliance. Culture has always been a bridge between people. In a world that has become increasingly polarized, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to address our differences through peaceful displays of creative expression. Qatar Museums has the support of the Government of Qatar and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in working more closely with the City of Venice. In this way, we will continue to pursue social, cultural and intellectual exchanges, as we have both done over centuries of maritime trade and more. The cultural exchanges of Qatar and Italy are not new; they have always been strong, and this new agreement simply takes our bilateral relations to a new level.”

For his part, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro remarked that “The City of Venice has always been open to the world, as a place where different cultures and peoples meet and grow. We are at the disposal of the entire Italian country system. I would like to thank, first of all, for this act of generosity that strengthens ties between different communities, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has already shown her sensitivity and love for our city by supporting various cultural initiatives in recent years. This important donation is a concrete sign of how Qatar wants to contribute to the preservation of a city that is unique in the world and at the forefront of the effects of climate change. At the Junta, the granting of the property and the revised plan of operations for the construction of the new Qatar Pavilion at the Napoleonic Gardens was also approved. This is a real investment, in addition to the donation, to create in the Biennale area a privileged place for the exchange of cultures that, with their different expressions, serve as a channel for cooperation and mutual understanding. This is the result of a long process, in agreement with both the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano and the president of the Biennale Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, as well as with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani and, in particular, the undersecretary with responsibility for culture, Maria Tripodi. This collaboration was essential to achieve this important result for the City of Venice.”

Image: Venice, Grand Canal. Photo: Stijn te Strake

Qatar covers Venice with money: 50 million to the municipality. Here's what it will get in return

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