Deal signed for contemporary art museum in AlUla after Saudi and French culture ministers meet

RIYADH: The Royal Commission for AlUla and leading French cultural institution the Centre Pompidou have signed an agreement to develop a contemporary art museum.

The new institution will serve as a center for regional and global 21st-century art and provide a platform for Arab artists, officials said.

The partnership deal was signed on Monday by Nora Aldabal, executive director of arts and creative industries at the Royal Commission, and Laurent Le Bon, president of Centre Pompidou. Also present were Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Saudi minister of culture and governor of the Royal Commission, and his French counterpart, Rima Abdul Malak, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom.

“Our collaboration with Centre Pompidou is another important step in our goal of empowering a thriving community of local artists, and driving knowledge and skills within the sector as we create viable opportunities for economic advancement as part of our continued transformation into a living museum,” said Aldabal.

Earlier, the two countries’ culture ministers met in Riyadh on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. They discussed the cultural cooperation between their countries, which has grown steadily in recent years through a number of projects, programs and initiatives.

Saudi Ministry of Culture officials Rakan Al-Touq, the general supervisor of cultural affairs and international relations, and Fahd Al-Kanaan, undersecretary for international cultural relations, also attended the meeting.

Monday’s agreement is one of several between the Royal Commission for AlUla and renowned local and international arts and culture institutions, including the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts in Jeddah, Misk Art Institute in Riyadh, the German Archaeological Institute and the archaeology department of the University of Western Australia.

The Pompidou partnership will focus on collections and building a special relationship to facilitate museum loans, curatorial partnerships, the sharing of museological expertise, and audience development.

France and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in 2021 for the promotion of cooperation and cultural exchange in a variety of sectors, including architecture and design, heritage, visual arts, performing arts, films and literature.

It followed a historic bilateral agreement between the countries in 2018 to develop the culture and heritage sector in AlUla governorate and work together on joint scientific initiatives relating to archaeological research and excavation in the Kingdom.

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