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Misk Art Institute Signs Strategic Partnerships at Misk Global Forum 2025 in Riyadh

The agreements include a partnership with MAXXI Museum in Rome to provide Saudi professionals with direct exposure to international museum practices, complemented by expert-led masterclasses delivered as part of Misk Art Institute programs - SPA
The agreements include a partnership with MAXXI Museum in Rome to provide Saudi professionals with direct exposure to international museum practices, complemented by expert-led masterclasses delivered as part of Misk Art Institute programs - SPA
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Misk Art Institute Signs Strategic Partnerships at Misk Global Forum 2025 in Riyadh

The agreements include a partnership with MAXXI Museum in Rome to provide Saudi professionals with direct exposure to international museum practices, complemented by expert-led masterclasses delivered as part of Misk Art Institute programs - SPA
The agreements include a partnership with MAXXI Museum in Rome to provide Saudi professionals with direct exposure to international museum practices, complemented by expert-led masterclasses delivered as part of Misk Art Institute programs - SPA

Misk Art Institute, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation “Misk,” has announced three strategic partnerships to drive cultural engagement and academic exchange.

The agreements were signed during the Misk Global Forum 2025 (MGF25) held in Riyadh on November 19–20 under the theme “Created By Youth”.

The collaborations will support Misk Art Institute’s mission to enrich artists’ creative journeys and advance Saudi Arabia’s arts and culture ecosystem, according to a press release, SPA reported.

The agreements include a partnership with MAXXI Museum in Rome to provide Saudi professionals with direct exposure to international museum practices, complemented by expert-led masterclasses delivered as part of Misk Art Institute programs.

Additionally, two memoranda of understanding were signed with Jeddah University and Taibah University to enable student development initiatives, academic exchange, and enriched cultural engagement.

Misk Art Institute continues to advance its mission to enhance the creative sector by developing artist-led initiatives, empowering talent, and strengthening cultural collaboration. The agreements reflect a shared vision to provide opportunities for artists and creatives and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a regional hub for creativity and cultural dialogue.

CEO of Misk Art Institute Reem Alsultan stated: “These partnerships consolidate Misk Art Institute’s role as an enabler of the national creative infrastructure and a trusted platform for the development of arts in the Kingdom. By connecting the arts with other sectors, including education, we’re building pathways for creativity to empower the next generation of creatives and advance cultural engagement.

These partnerships support our goal of facilitating artist journeys through unlocking access to resources and visibility, encouraging innovation, and expanding the national creative landscape. Each of them adds value to a growing ecosystem where artists and institutions work together, supporting a more vibrant creative future.”

Misk Art Institute continues to expand its influence as a leading cultural institution connecting artists, organizations, investors, and the broader community to build a sustainable creative landscape. Through year-round programs, including art exhibitions, training and development pathways, and residency opportunities, it supports artists to participate more fully in shaping the cultural scene and elevating artistic expression in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

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Culture

UK Proposal to Charge Tourists to Visit Museums Sparks Backlash

FILE PHOTO: People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
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UK Proposal to Charge Tourists to Visit Museums Sparks Backlash

FILE PHOTO: People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo

Britain is considering introducing entry fees for tourists visiting some of England's most renowned museums, a proposal that has drawn criticism from restitution groups and countries while disputed artefacts remain on display.

Free admission to Britain's national museums and galleries was introduced in 2001 by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in a bid to make culture more accessible to all.

Last month, the UK government said it would work with the museum sector to explore the potential benefits of charging international visitors at ⁠national museums, including how ⁠this could support the arts sector. It would provide an update of the consultation before the end of the year, it said.

However, the proposal is facing backlash amid growing calls worldwide for artefacts to be sent back to their communities or countries of origin, Reuters reported.

Although some efforts have been made to confront the long-standing issue, artifacts as well as human ⁠remains taken during the colonial era are still held in various museums across Europe. Some long-standing claims for artifacts involving the British Museum include Greece's Parthenon Sculptures, known as Elgin marbles, and Nigeria's Benin Bronzes.

The British Museum has previously said that the strength of its collection lies in enabling millions of visitors to understand the world's cultures and how they are interconnected.

Ghana, which has some of its regalia and other artifacts in British institutions, said charging foreign visitors to view such objects raises issues of "fairness," particularly where restitution discussions remain ongoing, ⁠foreign minister ⁠Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told Reuters.

The proposal, if implemented, would be "unethica," said Eric Phillips, vice chair of the Caribbean Community's reparations commission, a bloc of 15 member states including Jamaica and Barbados.

"Why should we have to pay to see our heritage?" Phillips said.

Arley Gill, chairman of Grenada's national reparations committee, said the priority should be to return the artifacts to their "rightful owners."

Open Restitution Africa (ORA) said Africans and others already face barriers to accessing artifacts taken from their countries and held in Western museums, including visa requirements and travel costs.

"Introducing entry fees further compounds these inequalities," ORA said.

Meanwhile, the US-based non-profit Restitution Study Group said a fee exemption for such visitors would be a "meaningful gesture."

The government declined to comment on the criticism.

Culture

Riyadh Art Unveils 75 Works in Expanding Public Art Collection Across Capital

The artworks are strategically distributed across major streets, public squares, cultural centers, and key urban hubs. SPA
The artworks are strategically distributed across major streets, public squares, cultural centers, and key urban hubs. SPA
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Riyadh Art Unveils 75 Works in Expanding Public Art Collection Across Capital

The artworks are strategically distributed across major streets, public squares, cultural centers, and key urban hubs. SPA
The artworks are strategically distributed across major streets, public squares, cultural centers, and key urban hubs. SPA

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, through its “Riyadh Art” program, has unveiled 75 new artworks as part of a growing permanent collection installed across key locations in the capital.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to expand the presence of public art in urban spaces, with additional installations planned in the coming period.

The program aims to enrich daily life in Riyadh by integrating art into the urban fabric, contributing to a dynamic cultural environment that reflects the capital's regional and international stature.

As one of the world’s largest public art initiatives, the Riyadh Art program now features 75 installations, with plans to expand the collection by adding 115 more works. The current collection includes contributions from 35 Saudi artists and 100 international artists representing 45 countries.

Among the internationally renowned artists featured are Anish Kapoor, Giuseppe Penone, and Jeff Koons, alongside prominent Saudi artists such as Zaman Jassim, Mohammed Alsaleem, and Manal AlDowayan.

The artworks are strategically distributed across major streets, public squares, cultural centers, and key urban hubs, enabling residents and visitors to engage with them as part of their everyday environment and reinforcing the role of art in public life.

The collection comprises both commissioned and acquired works. Commissioned pieces are specifically designed to respond to their surroundings, integrating with the urban context and patterns of movement within each location.

Recent commissions were selected through an international competition that attracted 161 artists, with 72 shortlisted participants submitting 70 proposals. These contributions have helped shape a diverse and evolving collection spanning the city’s main axes and public spaces.

Culture

New Tools Rescue Old Art at Madrid’s Prado Museum

A conservator works on the restoration of gilded moldings at the Prado museum's sculpture restoration department in Madrid on October 23, 2025. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/ AFP)
A conservator works on the restoration of gilded moldings at the Prado museum's sculpture restoration department in Madrid on October 23, 2025. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/ AFP)
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New Tools Rescue Old Art at Madrid’s Prado Museum

A conservator works on the restoration of gilded moldings at the Prado museum's sculpture restoration department in Madrid on October 23, 2025. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/ AFP)
A conservator works on the restoration of gilded moldings at the Prado museum's sculpture restoration department in Madrid on October 23, 2025. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/ AFP)

In a quiet space secluded from the throngs of daily visitors to Madrid's Prado art museum, a team of experts perpetuate an ancient tradition of restoring centuries-old European cultural treasures.

Creations by some of art's most illustrious names -- Goya, Velazquez, Rubens, Caravaggio, Bosch and El Greco -- are conserved in the vast, bright space at one of the world's most-visited museums.

The Prado has always put an emphasis on the conservation and restoration of art since it opened to the public in 1819.

Cutting-edge technology and modern tools to analyze and treat paintings and sculptures allow Almudena, Marta, Maria, Alvaro, Alicia, Elena, Sonia and Eva to maintain the tradition.

The team is capable of caring for the museum's most prized collections as well as works from other institutions.

In February, the Prado launched the restoration of "Pablo de Valladolid", an emblematic portrait that Spanish master Velazquez produced in the 17th century.

But the work will first undergo a deep technical analysis by new equipment, the museum said in a statement.

Scanning technology will allow the experts to identify and locate the materials used by the artist, while multispectral infrared reflectography will reveal details invisible to the naked eye.

Everything contributes to a deeper understanding of the artist's technique, the work's state of conservation and preparing its restoration.