As part of an economic diversification strategy, Qatar is spending generously in the cultural sphere to (re)define the Qatari nation identity (inter)nationally and to establish a sustainable nation brand independent from hydrocarbons. The official institution for art and culture, Qatar Museums, plays an integral role in the development of the nation brand by expanding Qatar’s cultural capital through state-of-the-art museums. Against this backdrop, this study explores the connection between museums and nation branding in the postcolonial moment in Qatar. By looking at how an online museum catalogue from Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art carries narratives of the Qatari nation identity and positions it in relation to the Arab world and globally, this study specifically addresses how regional modern and contemporary art is used to promote Qatar to an international audience. A methodological framework of structural narrative analysis and compositional interpretation is deployed to draw out narratives in a selection of artworks and their descriptions as featured in the online catalogue. The theoretical framework draws on several concepts rooted in social constructionism and critical research. The findings highlight how the Qatari nation identity is represented in narratives about local traditions, people, and lands in the context of Western modern art movements. The online catalogue communicates that Qatar is a pivot of cultural globalization that merges traditionalism and modernity to highlight Arabic cultures and international influences. This ultimately creates a paradox where the Qatari nation brand challenges stereotypes about the Arab world produced and sustained by Orientalism but that is also recolonized in attempts to relate to the global.