GU-Q and Qatar Museums Launch “Gérôme X Georgetown” Panel Series
Series Aims to Inspire Critical Dialogue on Orientalist Art
Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) has partnered with Qatar Museums (QM) to launch Gérôme X Georgetown, an exciting four-part series running from November 2024 to February 2025. This series offers an in-depth exploration of the influential 19th Century French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), whose widely disseminated work shaped both cultural narratives and artistic techniques, with lasting resonance today.
Guided by Sheikha Nouf Mubarak bin Saif Al-Thani, Deputy Director of Learning and Outreach at Lusail Museum and Postdoctoral Fellow at GU-Q, the event series is hosted at GU-Q and runs alongside the “Seeing Is Believing: The Art and Influence of Gérôme” exhibition at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. The revelatory exhibition organised by the future Lusail Museum and Mathaf will showcase over 300 artworks to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the artist’s birth.
Through this collaboration, audiences will have a unique opportunity to engage with Gérôme’s artworks through a critical lens drawing from the historical record to inform contemporary understandings of representation, art, and culture.
“We hope that through Gérôme’s work, audiences will confront the complex legacies of Orientalist art and reflect on how visual culture has influenced the way cultures perceive each other across time,” said Sheikha Nouf Al-Thani. “This series is an invitation to examine these historical perspectives and foster understanding of how art continues to shape cultural narratives and perceptions.”
The series opened on November 3, 2024, with “Curators in Conversation,” a panel discussion featuring the curators of the Seeing is Believing, Dr. Emily Weeks, Dr. Giles Hudson, and Sara Raza, moderated by Prof. Dr Alain Fouad George, Director of the Lusail Institute. Together, they offered fresh perspectives on Gérôme’s legacy and his ability to blend historical storytelling with breathtaking realism.
Gérôme’s works, such as The Death of Caesar and The Slave Market, are renowned for their meticulous attention to detail and almost photographic precision. Beyond their artistic value, these pieces invite reflection on the enduring influence of Orientalist art on perceptions of the “Orient.” Gérôme’s art serves as a gateway for broader conversations on how history, power, and representation intersect in visual culture—topics that continue to be debated in the art world today.
Building on the vision of Dean Safwan Masri to position GU-Q at the forefront of interdisciplinary learning and cultural dialogue, this partnership with Qatar Museums offers students and the wider community rare access to top global art experts and enriching discussions that bridge the past and present, encouraging audiences to rethink the stories art tells.