عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Quality of Life Program Continues to Empower Saudi Cultural Sector

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Quality of Life Program Continues to Empower Saudi Cultural Sector

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Quality of Life Program continues to support the transformation of Saudi Arabia's cultural sector, aiming to establish the Kingdom as a global hub for arts and culture, as outlined in Vision 2030. This is evident in the reopening of the King Fahd Cultural Center, the historic Qishlah Palace in Hail, and the launch of the teamLab Jeddah museum, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The program also bolstered the production of Saudi films and series like "Threads of the Ma'azib," "Al Sharrar," and "Complex 75," while showcasing international films like "Kandahar" and "Dunki," filmed in the Kingdom.
The initiative to develop public libraries resulted in two new libraries in Dammam and Ahad Rufaidah, with plans for 153 cultural centers by 2030. The Saudi Artisanal Company was also established to support the handicraft sector and preserve Saudi heritage, SPA said.
In 2023, the program's cultural initiatives achieved remarkable success. The Cultural Development Fund, with 180 million riyals in funding, was established for over 45 projects. The Aruq Bani Ma'arid was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The King Abdulaziz Historical Palace and Jerash archaeological site in the south of the Kingdom were restored, and the Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art in Diriyah opened, hosting the Biennale exhibition with over 16,232 visitors.
The "Nuqush Al Uqair" event in Al-Ahsa attracted over 60,000 visitors and highlighted the region's traditional crafts. The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts trained over 1,453 individuals and participated in international cultural events, SPA reported.
The Professional Music Association and the Professional Museums Association were established to foster diversity. The initiative to enhance Saudi contributions to culture and the arts presented over 100 diverse performances, and the Culinary Arts Authority hosted three cultural festivals across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar, the news agency added.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Iran's Vast Collection of Western Art, Much Long Hidden, Re-Emerges Despite High Tensions With US

A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TT
TT

Iran's Vast Collection of Western Art, Much Long Hidden, Re-Emerges Despite High Tensions With US

A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A woman walks past a portrait of the leader of the American Indian Movement Russell Means, right, by American artist Andy Warhol, as she visits an exhibition titled Eye to Eye which showcases over 120 works by modern world artists as well as Iranian painters at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

As Iran faces increasing tensions with the West and turmoil at home, a new exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is displaying Western artwork including pieces not seen by the public in at least a decade.
The unveiling of the exhibition “Eye to Eye” has drawn numerous women, their hair uncovered, to the underground galleries of the museum in Tehran's Laleh Park. Their presence, while unacknowledged by authorities, shows the way life has changed inside Iran just in the last few years even as the country's theocracy presses forward with enriching uranium to near-weapons grade levels and launching attacks on Israel during the ongoing Mideast wars, The Associated Press said.
“The first feeling that came to me, and I told my parents, was that I can’t believe I’m seeing these works, which have always been kept far from our eyes,” said Aida Zarrin, a young woman at the museum.
“If such events are held here and we can see artworks like the rest of the world, it’s enough. They are really precious.”
The government of Iran’s Western-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his wife, the former Empress Farah Pahlavi, built the museum and acquired the vast collection in the late 1970s, when oil boomed and Western economies stagnated. Upon opening, it showed sensational works by Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and other heavyweights, enhancing Iran’s cultural standing on the world stage.
But just two years later, in 1979, Shiite clerics ousted the shah and packed away the art in the museum’s vault. Some paintings — cubist, surrealist, impressionist and even pop art — sat untouched for decades to avoid offending Islamic values and the appearance of catering to Western sensibilities. Nearly everything is believed still to be there, though an Andy Warhol print of the empress was slashed during the revolution.
Today, the collection is likely worth billions of dollars. Even with Iran now cash-strapped under Western sanctions, officials with the museum have been able to advocate for keeping the collection, though there have been occasional trades in the past for items from Persian history. Those sanctions may increase under the next administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
As Iranian politics have thawed, re-frozen and thawed again, the collection resurfaces along with those changes.
Among the over 120 works being shown are ones from Picasso, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon, along with celebrated Iranian artists. One of the Warhols, “Jacqueline Kennedy II,” is a silkscreen double image of the former US first lady in mourning after the 1963 assassination of her husband, President John Kennedy. Another Warhol portrait of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger also garnered attention from the cellphone photo snappers.
“A lot of these works are important works in the history of art, and that’s why this show distinguishes itself from others,” said Jamal Arabzadeh, the exhibition's curator. ”A lot of people with less exposure to art have discovered the museum for the first time. ... We are seeing a part of the community that are discovering art and the museum and see the potential of this place, and this is something to be proud of.”
The presence of Western art comes as Iran's government has long fought against items like Barbie dolls and depictions of cartoon characters from “The Simpsons.” Such Western influences have been deemed un-Islamic in the past and have been seen as part of a “soft” cultural war against Iran.
With a ticket costing the equivalent of 14 US cents, the exhibition offers a rare government-sanctioned event not involving the country's politics or Shiite religion.
Among the visitors were many women defying the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law. Crackdowns over the hijab have slowed down after Iran's presidential election in July that elected reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, though individual cases of arrest continue to draw anger.
And for many, the cost of tickets to travel abroad given Iran's collapsing rial currency keep foreign museums out of reach.
“This is very attractive for art enthusiasts because not everyone can go and see museums abroad. It’s extremely exciting to see the works here,” said a woman who only gave her last name, Dolatshahi. “I had no idea I could see works by van Gogh and Picasso here.”