07 November 2014
Ministry of Culture Inaugurates “Modern and Contemporary Saudi Art
The Al-Mansouria Collection”
As part of its festivities to celebrate “Our Year of Arts” events, the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in collaboration with Al-Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity, inaugurated “Modern and Contemporary Saudi Art, The Al-Mansouria Collection” at the Bahrain National Museum on November 6, 2014. H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Culture Minister, inaugurated the Modern and Contemporary Saudi Art, Al Mansouria Collection with Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity president HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid Al Saud, Princess Adela bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Princess Noura bint Mohammed Al Saud. H.E. Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Mohamed Ben Isa, Moroccan’s previous Minister of Foreign Affairs. Many honorable guests were also present at the ceremony, such as HRH Princess Shanista Siswat, Belgian Baron Rafael Henry Estramant, a collection of diplomats and art lovers in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The exhibition is being held as part of the Ministry’s ‘Our Year of the Arts’ celebration and was organized in co-operation with the Mansouria Foundation.
Speaking on the occasion, HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid Al Saud, said that the historical and family relationships between the Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are very strong and deep, lauding the invitation bestowed upon HRH by H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al –Khalifa, to host this exhibition at Bahrain National Museum .
HRH also said that the Mansouria Foundation exhibition, which showcases modern and contemporary art from Saudi Arabia, presents the work of 30 artists, pioneers of the art in the 1960s, and new modern trends. It encompasses paintings, sculpture, calligraphy and video.
HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid Al Saud said “I started to love art as a personal need and ended up sharing these national and regional responsibilities. It began as an individual effort and ended up as an institutional deeply rooted task. I would like to thank H.E Shaikha Mai, the role model in the trend and for hosting Al Mansouria collection. Her refined sense of the role of culture in the development of society and her unique visionary ideas made her an exception.”
HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid Al Saud pointed out that Jeddah is the citadel of the biggest modern open art museum. HRH said that there is a lot of hype around the Saudi art scene and some of our contemporary artists. But it is the modern artists, from the 1960s to the 1970s, who laid the foundation for this movement. These artists, such as Dr. Mohammad Said Farsi, had to struggle at a time when there was little appreciation of art and even art supplies were difficult to obtain. But few people even in Saudi Arabia know about their work or their journeys. We wanted to pay tribute to these pioneers and introduce their work to the Saudi people and to the world. We have put together this exhibition of modern art with the co-operation of early collectors, the families of the artists and the artists themselves.
HRH Princess Jawaher bint Majid Al Saud argued that they are focusing on the history of modern and contemporary art in the Kingdom, providing the people of this country an opportunity to explore and appreciate local art movements as well as the culture of Jeddah, and the wider Kingdom. The reference to the city’s geographical coordinates metaphorically expresses our desire to put Jeddah on the world map as a vibrant and sustainable cultural destination. Our aim is to further encourage public, private and institutional support for the arts; foster cross-cultural understanding through art; and to create a platform for dialogue between local artists, galleries and institutions, and the global art community.
The focus on the historical Balad area of Jeddah, through a varied program designed to facilitate its evolution into a place of inspiration and creativity. The program includes clean-up and restoration of the area, site-specific installations and performances, and workshops for students at schools in the area. Indeed, works of Abdulhalim Radwi, a pioneer artist in 1968, Dhia Aziz Dhia and others will be highlighted to show the world the creativity and inspiration of the Saudi art scene. Other works include 53 masterpieces by Spanish artist Julio Lafuente, 5 works by British artist, Henry Moore, 6 works by French artist Cesar, 10 works by Victor Vazerlli and other world-famous artist, such as Alexandre Caldert, John Miro and Harp. The collection also includes masterpieces by 40 artists from around the globe to be showcased in different locations of Jeddah.
H.E Shaikha Mai expressed her happiness for hosting such an exceptional art collection exhibition, saying “Art has the power to foresee tomorrow, to document yesterday, and the Ministry of Culture welcomes Al Mansouria Saudi Modern and Contemporary Art collection.” The Minister of Culture continued to say, “We open Manama’s door to the world to celebrate cultures and chant the historical connection that we have with the universe. We reach the sky to offer a bird’s view to all art lovers in this very genuine Arab modern collection.”
The exhibition illustrates the evolution of Saudi contemporary art from the 1960s to present day through the work of 30 artists (Bakr Sheikhoun, Ahmed Felemban, Dia Aziz Dia,Taha Sabban,Naiel Mullah, Yousef Jaha, Abdulaziz Ashour, Mounirah Mously, Elham Bamehriz, Saddek Wasil, Nasser Al Salem, Ibrahim Abumusmar, Mahdi Al Jeraibi ,Shadia Alem, Mohamad Al Khatib, Ali Al Ruzaiza, Abdulrahman Al Soliman, Amna Alireza, Zaman Jassim, Mohammed Al Ghamdi, Abdullah Hammas, Ali Al Tukhais, Ayman Yossri, Ahmed Mater, Faisal Samra, Jowhara Al Saud ,Sami Al-Turki, Fahad Al Hejailan, Taghreed Baghshi). Ranging from paintings and sculpture to calligraphy and video art, the featured artworks unveil the vibrant art of Saudi Arabia. This exhibition also presents homage to pioneer artist Safiya Binzagr.
