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Museums Commission to Host First Exhibition on Chinese Contemporary Art in Riyadh

Museums Commission to Host First Exhibition on Chinese Contemporary Art in Riyadh
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Museums Commission to Host First Exhibition on Chinese Contemporary Art in Riyadh

Museums Commission to Host First Exhibition on Chinese Contemporary Art in Riyadh

The Museums Commission is set to inaugurate "The Writings of Today Are a Promise for Tomorrow" exhibition at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art at JAX District, introducing 30 contemporary artists of Chinese origin to Saudi Arabia for the first time.
The exhibition will highlight the importance of writing as a cultural and societal practice in both Arabic and Chinese cultures, SPA reported.
The event will offer the public the opportunity to explore a unique collection of artworks loaned from renowned private collections, along with site-specific works produced in Saudi Arabia for the exhibition.
The Writings of Today Are a Promise for Tomorrow will open to the public in September and run until January. Admission tickets will be released soon on the "Discover Culture" platform.

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Culture

Italy Buys Caravaggio Painting for About $35 Million, One of Its Largest Payouts for a Single Work

A visitor looks at the private collection and never previously shown to the public painting "Portrait de Maffeo Barberini" by Italian master Caravaggio at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica in the Barberini palace in Rome on November 22, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP)
A visitor looks at the private collection and never previously shown to the public painting "Portrait de Maffeo Barberini" by Italian master Caravaggio at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica in the Barberini palace in Rome on November 22, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP)
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Italy Buys Caravaggio Painting for About $35 Million, One of Its Largest Payouts for a Single Work

A visitor looks at the private collection and never previously shown to the public painting "Portrait de Maffeo Barberini" by Italian master Caravaggio at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica in the Barberini palace in Rome on November 22, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP)
A visitor looks at the private collection and never previously shown to the public painting "Portrait de Maffeo Barberini" by Italian master Caravaggio at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica in the Barberini palace in Rome on November 22, 2024. (Alberto Pizzoli / AFP)

Italy has bought a rare portrait by baroque painter Caravaggio for 30 million euros (about $35 million), one of the largest state investments ever for a single artwork, the country’s Culture Ministry said Tuesday.

The portrait, painted around 1598 and attributed to Caravaggio in 1963, depicts Maffeo Barberini, a nobleman who later became Pope Urban VIII.

The painting was acquired from a private collection by the Italian state after over a year of negotiations and will now enter Rome’s Palazzo Barberini permanent collection.

“This is a work of exceptional importance,” Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement, noting the painting was a turning point in Caravaggio’s modern rediscovery and its purchase has helped strengthen the presence of his works in Italian public collections.

The new acquisition follows a recent one of Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo,” and is part of Italy’s broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage, making some art history masterpieces accessible to scholars and the public.

The “Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini” depicts the future pope in his 30s, dressed as a cleric of the Apostolic Chamber, at a crucial moment in his rise to power.

The work was made famous by art critic Roberto Longhi in his 1963 article “The True ‘Maffeo Barberini’ of Caravaggio,” and has since been widely recognized by critics as a work by Caravaggio, also known as Michelangelo Merisi.

Longhi called the painting “one of the founding moments of modern portraiture,” emphasizing how Caravaggio ushered in a new psychological intensity.

Caravaggio revolutionized painting at the turn of the 17th century by introducing a dramatic use of light that became the cornerstone of the Baroque style. He is currently one of the most studied artists in the world, yet the number of his confirmed works remains extremely limited.

At Palazzo Barberini, the portrait will be displayed alongside Caravaggio’s other works — one of the world’s most important collections — in particular along another of Caravaggio’s masterpieces, “Judith Slaying Holofernes,” also purchased by the Italian state in 1971.

Culture

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores 1,400-Year-Old Jarir Al-Bajali Mosque in Taif

The mosque is historically linked to the companion Jarir ibn Abdullah Al-Bajali, who embraced Islam in 10 AH - SPA
The mosque is historically linked to the companion Jarir ibn Abdullah Al-Bajali, who embraced Islam in 10 AH - SPA
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Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores 1,400-Year-Old Jarir Al-Bajali Mosque in Taif

The mosque is historically linked to the companion Jarir ibn Abdullah Al-Bajali, who embraced Islam in 10 AH - SPA
The mosque is historically linked to the companion Jarir ibn Abdullah Al-Bajali, who embraced Islam in 10 AH - SPA

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques has completed the restoration of Jarir Al-Bajali Mosque in Taif, preserving a heritage site that dates back more than 1,400 years.

The mosque is historically linked to the companion Jarir ibn Abdullah Al-Bajali, who embraced Islam in 10 AH. The restoration preserved the mosque’s Sarawat architectural style, known for its irregular stone construction and juniper wood roofing. Its capacity has also been expanded to accommodate 135 worshippers, SPA reported.

Covering 350 square meters, the mosque features a unique combination of square stone and modern cylindrical minarets. The project was implemented under the supervision of Saudi engineers and heritage specialists, integrating modern sustainability standards with traditional building techniques.

The initiative aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to preserve the Kingdom’s architectural identity and highlight its deep Islamic heritage for future generations.

Culture

Italy Buys Rare Caravaggio Portrait for 30 Million Euros

The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini was painted by Italian master Caravaggio when the nobleman born in 1568 was in his 30s © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP/File
The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini was painted by Italian master Caravaggio when the nobleman born in 1568 was in his 30s © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP/File
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Italy Buys Rare Caravaggio Portrait for 30 Million Euros

The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini was painted by Italian master Caravaggio when the nobleman born in 1568 was in his 30s © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP/File
The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini was painted by Italian master Caravaggio when the nobleman born in 1568 was in his 30s © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP/File

Italy has paid 30 million euros for a Caravaggio painting of the future pope Urban VIII, the culture ministry said Tuesday, a work that will enter the Barberini museum collection in Rome.

The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini was painted by Italian master Caravaggio when the nobleman born in 1568 was in his 30s, years before he became pope.

"This is a work of exceptional importance," Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement, adding that it was "one of the most significant investments" ever made by the state for an artwork.

Maffeo Barberini was elected to the papacy in 1623 and his pontificate lasted until his death in 1644.

The painting was authenticated in 1963 by the art critic Roberto Longhi, a great specialist in the work of the 16th-century artist, whose full name was Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

"This acquisition, together with the recent purchase of the Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina, is part of a broader project to strengthen the national cultural heritage," he said.

The previous owners of the work, who were not specified, had allowed the portrait to be exhibited to the public for an exhibit on Caravaggio at Palazzo Barberini -- the noble family's historic home in central Rome -- which ended in February 2025.

The museum's director, Thomas Clement Salomon, told AFP at the exhibition's opening in November 2024 that the fact it was being displayed was "exceptional."

"It has never been lent to an exhibition, it has never been seen in a museum, so it is an absolute preview," he said.

In the painting, a seated Barberini is clutching a letter in his left hand, with his right pointing forward, towards the viewer.

Around 65 paintings in the world have been "securely attributed" to Caravaggio, according to the ministry statement, while portraits are very rare, with only three "known and firmly accepted."