Saudi Museum of Modern Art to be set up in Diriyah

RIYADH — The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) and the Ministry of Culture are working to establish the Saudi Museum of Modern Art in the Bujairi neighborhood of Diriyah here as part of developing Diriyah as a cultural, recreational and tourism center.

This aims at making Diriyah an open destination for the world, rich in exploration and encouraging creative artistic expression.

The Ministry of Culture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) for cooperation in implementing the museum project, which will be designed in accordance with a modern creative concept influenced by the traditional local architectural style.

The contemporary art museum aims to achieve important roles in the Saudi cultural scene, the most important of which is to promote and encourage national art to become a center for Saudi visual identity, a platform to promote the best contemporary pieces of art, in addition to being an incubator for new voices for expression in the Kingdom.

The museum will be located in Bujairi, which has a unique architectural style inspired by the surrounding natural environment and vast palm plantations. It overlooks the eastern edge of Wadi Hanifah, opposite the historic Al-Turaif neighborhood, which has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

The museum is part of the projects of DGDA, which was established in July 2017, in order to preserve the history of Diriyah and its development to become one of the world’s most attractive historic sites.