Seven Heavenly Senses

From 27 June 2025, The Al Thani Collection at the Hôtel de la Marine presents Seven Heavenly Senses, the first exhibition of contemporary art drawn from the Collection. Shown alongside a selection of historical objects, the resulting juxtaposition reflects the passion and curiosity of a collector with encyclopaedic interests, and invites visitors to explore notions of figuration, form, craft and memory through approximately forty works of art created across different time periods, cultures, and contexts. The exhibition is curated by art historian Olivier Berggruen. 

The selection of works is structured around the theme of the seven senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, vestibular sense (balance and movement), and proprioception (the body's ability to perceive its own position in space). The sixth and seventh senses, less commonly known, may hold an immaterial or even spiritual dimension. The exhibition explores all of these aspects through an original scenography characterised by its sensory focus and delicately subdued lighting. 

Featured contemporary artists include Adrian Ghenie, Cornelia Parker, Salman Toor and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Acting as a unifying thread throughout the exhibition, a soundscape created by singer and composer Zsela (b. 1995) highlights the continuity between the different sensory realms explored, unfolding as a meditation on the transformative power of art. The aroma diffused in Gallery 2 is a scent titled ‘Heaven can wait’ by Jean-Claude Ellena, Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, in partnership with Magique, an olfactory and multi-sensory creation studio.

Seven Heavenly Senses is organised by The Al Thani Collection Foundation and the Centre des monuments nationaux. Exhibition catalogue published by the Éditions du patrimoine.