Saudi Arabia

Two important private collections will take centre stage in Saudi Arabia's Islamic Arts Biennale next year

The second edition of the event will also include loans from the Louvre, the Bodleian Library, the Qatar National Library, and the Vatican—which does not have diplomatic relations with the kingdom

Christie's will become first global auction house to operate in Saudi Arabia

With the announcement of Riyadh-based managing director Nour Kelani, the firm hopes to deepen ties with the Kingdom's collectors and ambitious cultural projects

Diaryblog

Where is Salvator Mundi? In storage in Geneva—apparently

Could the long-lost work end up in a Saudi museum run by ex-British Museum chief?

Hartwig Fischer, former British Museum director, is appointed to run Saudi museum of world cultures

Fischer, who resigned after a thefts scandal at the British Museum, has been announced as the founding director of the new institution, which is expected to open in 2026

Rare ancient rock art found in Saudi Arabian lava tube

Sixteen panels, thought to have been created 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, include rare depictions of sheep

Diriyah Biennale's 'monumental' works create their own unique landscape—with familiar issues

The sprawling "After Rain" exhibition brings artists together to explore land, ecology and the crises being faced

UK Science Museum Group announces move into Saudi Arabia

Organisation announces plans for a “museums hub” in Riyadh

Fusing contemporary with ancient: Desert X opens in Saudi Arabia's AlUla

The third edition of the show, which originated in southern California, features large-scale installations by 17 artists from the region and beyond

AlUlanews

Head of Saudi Arabia's AlUla cultural development arrested over corruption claims

Amr al-Madani is accused of “abuse of authority and money laundering“, according to local media

Saudi Arabia’s Desert X AlUla biennial announces new curators for 2024 edition

The theme of the third iteration will be “In the Presence of Absence”

As Saudi Arabia wins bid for 2030 World Expo, a new book lifts the lid on the Kingdom’s push to be a key art world player

Publication examines how the conservative Middle Eastern state is pouring resources into its culture sector

Prizesnews

Ithra Art Prize worth up to $500,000 awarded to Saudi artist Obaid Alsafi

Palm trunk work located in AlUla addresses environmental issues

Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Biennale announces programme for 2024

After Rain exhibition, featuring 92 artists, is organised by curator Ute Meta Bauer

Is Saudi Arabia the next big cultural powerhouse?

Plus, Michelangelo at the Albertina in Vienna and Julianknxx at the Barbican in London

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The Week in Art | Special 250th episode: what’s next for the visual arts?

We ask leading art world figures about their hopes and concerns, and discuss what the future has in store for museums, the art market and artists with our long-term contributors Cristina Ruiz, Georgina Adam and Louisa Buck

Sponsored byChristie's

New museum in Saudi Arabia bolsters collection after inking partnership deal with Centre Pompidou

The contemporary art institution is one of 15 “cultural assets” in development in the Arabian state’s AlUla heritage region

Saudi Arabia announces two new major museums as part of AlUla heritage site

An institution for contemporary art and another dedicated to the incense trade route are the first "cultural assets” launched as part of the region's 15-year plan

Centre Pompidou to open contemporary art museum in Saudi Arabia

The Paris institution's latest outpost is part of drive to rebrand the Middle Eastern state

Does the West really care about human rights and art washing?

As the art world continues to do business in authoritarian regions, some question its claim to being a force for universal good

In pictures: Inside the mirror-clad desert venue hosting Saudi Arabia’s first Warhol show

Exhibition makes comparisons between artist's obsession with fame and contemporary society’s all-consuming social media usage

France makes art inroads in Saudi Arabia with Centre Pompidou project allegedly on the horizon

The outpost would be the gallery's latest international satellite and the latest of many France-driven arts initiative in the Middle Eastern country

Heritage protection foundation Aliph expands with office in Saudi Arabia

The Geneva-based International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas is to open a second office in 2023 in Riyadh

Can art actually help improve Saudi Arabia's abject human rights record?

Culture is being used by Saudi Arabia to project an image of a state that “enriches lives, celebrates national identity and builds understanding between people”

Andy Warhol exhibition to be staged in the Saudi Arabian desert

The show—described as an "introduction" for many in the region to the late gay artist—is being organised by the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh

Revealed: the first photograph of the Louvre's Leonardo book that was spiked over Salvator Mundi fiasco

The story of the "Léonard de Vinci. Le Salvator Mundi" publication that was withdrawn from sale

Saudi Arabia reportedly building gallery to house Leonardo's Salvator Mundi

The painting has not been seen in public since it was allegedly bought by the Saudi Crown Prince for $450m in 2017—but the art historian Martin Kemp suggests it may soon be brought "into the light"

Artist and poet Ashraf Fayadh is freed after more than eight years in Saudi prisons

A religious court sentenced him to death for blasphemy in 2015. Saudi artist Ahmed Mater says times have changed and this would be unlikely to happen today

Exhibition traces the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad in unprecedented detail

Show about the Hijrah—Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina—at Saudi Arabia’s Ithra Museum will go on a five-year world tour