Amin Jaffer: The Keeper of Memories

A true custodian of global culture, Dr. Amin Jaffer has shaped projects at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), curated the Islamic Arts Biennale in 2025, and now the acclaimed India Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. His impact on the world of art is profound, given that he has chronicled history through many brilliant books. Today, as director of The Al Thani Collection—a repository of over 5,000 artefacts spanning millennia—Jaffer continues his lifelong journey of bringing world heritage to those who treasure it most.

Before we delve into The Al Thani Collection, we have to ask: what was the idea behind the theme ‘Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home’ at the Venice Biennale’s India Pavilion?

The Biennale’s theme, ‘In Minor Keys’, invited a quiet, introspective response, leading me to reflect on the idea of home at a moment when India is changing at an unparalleled pace. Across the country, cities and communities are being transformed, while globally millions of Indians continue to live and work far from their places of origin. ‘Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home’ explores the idea that home is not simply a physical place, but something we carry within us through memory, ritual, relationships and material culture. It’s a theme rooted in the Indian experience, but with universal resonance. 

How did you build a cohesive story for The Al Thani Collection, given that it spans antiquity to the present?

The Al Thani Collection represents the vision of its founder, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. We work closely with His Highness in presenting the Collection; the stories reflect his collecting vision. With more than 5,000 objects spanning periods and geographies, there are many stories we can tell about civilisation, and this is exactly what we aim to do at the Collection’s museum space at the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris.

The jewels in The Al Thani Collection are historically significant. What essential qualities must a piece possess to merit a place?

The Al Thani Collection is very much a reflection of the encyclopaedic vision of its founder. I can say that works of art tend to be selected based on their form, the skill, mastery, and proficiency of their creator, as well as their provenance and ability to evoke history, bridge cultures, and promote cultural exchange.

Read the full story in the special ‘Joaillerie Market’ issue of LuxeTrope, on stands now.