Hoor Al Qasimi Receives France’s Order of Arts and Letters
By ANNETTE MEIER
From left to right: NICOLAS NIEMTCHINOW, the French ambassador to the UAE; HOOR AL QASIMI, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation; and STEPHANIE SALHA, the advisor for cooperation and cultural action of the French embassy in the UAE during the decoration award ceremony at The Flying Saucer, Sharjah, 2025. Courtesy the Sharjah Art Foundation.
On April 15, the French embassy in the UAE honored Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, with the Officier de L’Ordre Arts et Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters). Established in 1957, the prestigious award recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the arts in France and abroad.
Nicolas Niemtchinow, the French ambassador to the UAE, presented the insignia to Al Qasimi in an official ceremony at The Flying Saucer, a multi-purpose arts and culture venue in Sharjah. He praised Al Qasimi’s “remarkable contribution to strengthening cultural and artistic ties between . . . France and the UAE,” further commending the Sharjah Biennial, “which has become a reference in the world of contemporary art.”
Al Qasimi expressed her gratitude for the award, describing it as “a wonderful reflection of the collaborations and cultural exchanges that have shaped my work in Sharjah, the UAE, and internationally.” She added that it “reaffirms the importance of continuing to build cultural dialogue through the arts.”
Beyond her role at the Sharjah Art Foundation, Al Qasimi helms various major organizations and art events, including the International Biennial Association, the Sharjah Architecture Triennial, and the Sharjah Creative Quarter, to name a few. She is also the artistic director of the forthcoming 6th Aichi Triennale (2025) and the 25th Biennale of Sydney (2026).
Annette Meier is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
