In a global first, Qatar Airways has announced a ground-breaking cultural partnership with Grammy Award-winning artist, entrepreneur, and international creative force, Swizz Beatz.
The collaboration was unveiled at an event at Art Basel Paris 2025, where
Qatar Airways also serves as a Premium Partner across all five of Art Basel’s world leading fairs.
To mark the start of the partnership, ‘The Dean Collection’, founded by Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, has united with Qatar Airways for the inaugural Qatar Airways Creative 100 – an annual platform celebrating the most influential creatives whose work is shaping the future of global culture.
From art and design to music, technology, sport and beyond, the list will bring together the true taste-makers of the current time. The initiative will be inaugurated by a flagship event during Art Basel Qatar in February 2026.
Linking Qatar Airways to the world of arts
The yearly “Creative 100” will spotlight 100 visionaries whose work transcends borders. The first creatives announced include Black Coffee – the Grammy Award-winning South African DJ and producer; Miles Chamley-Watson – the Olympic fencing champion and style innovator; Kristian Teär – CEO of Danish high-end electronics company Bang & Olufsen; Yoon Ahn – an American fashion designer who co-founded AMBUSH and is the current Jewellery Director for Dior Homme; and Flavio Manzoni – Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer.
From the world of arts, the inductees include Kennedy Yanko – a sculptor who meshes creations with salvaged metal paint skin, and Patrick Eugene – a visual artist whose works explore identity, culture, and the human experience.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: "
At Qatar Airways, creativity fuels everything we do. As the World’s Best Airline, creativity shapes how we innovate, connect cultures, and reimagine the experience of travel. Our partnership with Swizz Beatz reflects that same spirit – a shared belief that creativity has the power to inspire, to unite, and to transform the way the world connects. Through the Qatar Airways Creative 100, we celebrate those whose ideas shape culture, bringing people together through creativity and artistry across borders.”
The Dean Collection Co-Founder, Swizz Beatz, said: “Qatar Airways doesn’t just move people, it moves the world. That’s why this partnership feels so natural. Together, we’re creating a platform that shines a light on the most inspiring people of our time. The Qatar Airways Creative 100, in collaboration with The Dean Collection, is the first step.”
Benefits for QR customers
The partnership will lend its impact to the Qatar Airways passenger journey through merchandise and various onboard experiences. As the first expression of creativity from the Qatar Airways Creative 100, the two collaborative forces revealed renders of a special edition Formula 1® livery – celebrating its role as Global Airline Partner during the announcement. An additional livery to commemorate the airline’s partnership with The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is set to be revealed at a later stage.
Qatar Airways will also introduce a dedicated digital home for the Qatar Airways Creative 100. It will act as a cultural hub that showcases films, interviews, podcasts, and city guides designed by global creators. The platform will also deliver exclusive benefits for its Privilege Club members, including access to exclusive masterclasses led by Creative 100 inductees, and priority invitations to flagship cultural events.
Globally known by his stage name Swizz Beatz, Kassem Daoud Dean was born in Bronx, New York, and is a Grammy Award–winning music producer, artist, and a Harvard Business School graduate with a multi-decade career spanning the fields of entertainment, art, and brand. He co-founded The Dean Collection, a private family art collection with his wife and music icon, Alicia Keys.
Their collection was the subject of the 2024 Brooklyn Museum exhibition called ‘Giants’. The collection continues to be exhibited at national and international art institutes, presenting a world-class group of multi-generational artists until 2030, with more than 500,000 attendees in just three shows thus far.
Earlier this year, Qatar Airways announced a new global partnership with Art Basel, the world’s leading contemporary art fair. As Art Basel’s Premium Partner, the airline will support all of the fair’s prestigious annual exhibitions in Basel, Paris, Hong Kong, Miami Beach, as well as its newly launched edition in Qatar. This alliance goes beyond sponsorship and aims to deepen the airline’s connection with a culture and art.
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