The Center Pompidou in Paris is expanding its global empire by signing a deal to develop a contemporary art museum in Saudi Arabia’s booming AlUla region. The new agreement between Beaubourg Gallery and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) – the Saudi government’s cultural body headed by the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – was finalized on March 12.
A photograph showing Laurent le Bon, the president of the Center Pompidou, and the general manager of Arts AlUla, Nora Aldabal, signing the agreement was published on Twitter. Prince Badr bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Culture and Governor of the RCU, and French Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak were also present at the ceremony. An opening date has not been confirmed for the Saudi satellite arm.
“@RCU_SA has selected @CentrePompidou as a key partner in the development of a contemporary art museum in AlUla as a global center for regional and global art of the 21st century. The museum will be an architectural monument in its own right”, tweeted the RCU on March 13. The outpost would be the latest addition to the international network of satellites launched by the Center Pompidou, which operates annexes in Metz in northern France, Shanghai and Malaga.
The Center Pompidou indicates in a press release that the new Saudi partnership aims to support the enhancement and development of the cultural, artistic and creative aspects of the AlUla site. “The Center Pompidou will bring its scientific and technical expertise to staff training, particularly in the areas of collection conservation management and mediation. It can also provide support for the organization of cultural and event programming,” he adds.
According The National newspaper, the new museum will house “a collection of contemporary art from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia with immersive installations by artists from every inhabited continent. It will also feature examples of 21st century land art and a public art commissioning program.
The proposed Center Pompidou project is the latest French artistic initiative to be launched in Saudi Arabia. The Afalula agency, founded in Paris in July 2018, is the result of an intergovernmental agreement signed by France and Saudi Arabia (Afalula works in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla).
A French critic, who chose to remain anonymous, says: “The Franco-Saudi partnership is part of a dynamic of promoting the cultural references of Saudi Arabia, helping to diversify the economy and give a more “open” image of the country, in line with the government’s Vision 2030 plan. But between 2015 and 2022, an average of 129 executions took place each year in Saudi Arabia. The Center Pompidou had not responded to a request for comment on the human rights issue at the time of publication.
