tuwaiq sculpture returns to riyadh with monumental new works

The seventh edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium has opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Titled "Traces of What Will Be," the month-long event features 25 international artists creating large-scale, site-specific sculptures in a public, live-sculpting phase. The open-air exhibition showcases works made from local stone and reclaimed materials, responding to themes of memory, sustainability, and the relationship between humans and their environment.

riyadh art tuwaiq sculpture 2026 launches open call

Riyadh Art has launched an open call for the seventh edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture, scheduled for January and February 2026 under the theme 'Traces of What Will Be.' The open call runs from August 27 to October 1, 2025, inviting sculptors worldwide to submit proposals for a live sculpting experience in Riyadh. Twenty-five artists will be selected to create original works that will be permanently installed across the city. An international curatorial team has been announced: U.K.-based Sarah Staton, German-born Rut Blees Luxemburg, and Saudi artist Lulwah Al Homoud. The edition introduces two new sculpting categories—Granite + Stainless Steel Integration and Reclaimed Metal—and selected artists receive an honorarium plus travel and accommodation support.

Saudi Arabia looks to its Modern art history as the art world eyes up the Gulf

Saudi Arabia is actively showcasing its Modern art history through major exhibitions and sales. The 'Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement' at the National Museum in Riyadh features over 250 works by 73 artists from the 1960s-1980s, highlighting pioneering figures like Mounirah Mosly and Safeya Binzagr. Simultaneously, the Desert X AlUla exhibition is displaying monumental, long-unseen sculptures by Modernist artist Mohammed AlSaleem.

bedayat beginnings of saudi art movement

The National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh has launched "Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement," a landmark survey exhibition documenting the evolution of the country’s art scene from the 1960s through the 1980s. Curated by Qaswra Hafez and commissioned by the Visual Arts Commission, the show features a vast array of paintings, sculptures, and never-before-seen archival materials. The exhibition is organized into three sections that explore the foundations of the movement, the influence of modernization on daily life, and the specific contributions of four modernist pioneers: Mohammed Al-Saleem, Safeya Binzagr, Mounirah Mosly, and Abdulhalim Radwi.

Colnaghi, world's oldest gallery, to open Saudi Arabian outpost

Colnaghi, the world's oldest surviving art dealership founded in 1760, will open a new outpost in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following a deal worth 10 million Saudi riyals (around £2 million) with the Saudi private equity firm Sarat Investment Holding. The gallery, which specializes in Old Masters, antiquities, and pre-20th century art, already has locations in London, New York, and Madrid. The opening date has not been announced, but the move marks the first time an Old Master gallery has entered the Saudi market, a surprising development given that most art sales in the kingdom focus on Modern and contemporary works.

Vittoria Matarrese new director of the Magasin in Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese nouvelle directrice du Magasin de Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese has been appointed as the new director of the Magasin, the National Center for Contemporary Art in Grenoble. The Italian architect and curator, who previously held positions at the Villa Medici in Rome, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Bally Foundation in Lugano, and most recently led the first Art Week Riyadh, succeeds Céline Kopp. Her appointment comes as the institution seeks a new direction after a prolonged period of crisis.

From oil to canvas: Saudi Arabia’s emerging art economy

Saudi Arabia's art market reached a significant milestone with Sotheby’s second "Origins" auction in Riyadh, headlined by the $2.1 million sale of Safeya Binzagr’s painting "Coffee Shop in Madina Road." This record-breaking event, which nearly doubled its high estimate, underscores the rapid growth of the Kingdom’s art economy under the Vision 2030 plan. The auction saw a mix of local and international buyers, signaling that Saudi artists are increasingly being integrated into the global contemporary art dialogue.

Monumental commissions and pioneering women artists take centre stage at Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale 2026

The third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale has opened in Riyadh’s JAX District under the title 'In Interludes and Transitions.' Curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, the exhibition features over 65 artists from 35 countries, focusing on themes of migration, oral storytelling, and the movement of ideas across borders. The show is housed in repurposed 1970s industrial warehouses with a scenography designed by Formafantasma that emphasizes intimacy despite the monumental scale of the venues.

Who is Safeya Binzagr? Meet the Saudi artist who outsold Picasso

A painting by Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, 'Coffee Shop in Madina Road' (1968), sold for $2.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in Riyadh, setting a new auction record for the artist. The sale price exceeded that of a work by Pablo Picasso sold at the same event, making it the third-highest price ever achieved for an Arab artist at auction in Saudi Arabia.

Sotheby’s Origins II Returns to Riyadh

Sotheby’s is returning to Riyadh for the second edition of its Origins sale, titled Origins II, with a live auction scheduled for 31 January. The sale will feature over 70 lots spanning Modern and Contemporary Art, Ancient Sculpture, and 20th-Century Design, including works by Saudi pioneer Safeya Binzagr, Iraqi artist Mahmoud Sabri, and Pablo Picasso. The auction coincides with the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale and the debut of Art Basel Doha, and will be preceded by a public exhibition at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace from 24 to 31 January.

Everything to Know About Christie’s Modern Middle Eastern Art Auction

Christie’s has opened an online auction of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art, running through May 8th and featuring 69 works from across the Gulf, Levant, North Africa, Iraq, and Iran. The sale is led by pioneering artist Samia Halaby’s 2013 painting 'Water Lilies', estimated at $100,000–$150,000, and includes a dedicated 'Saudi Now!' section with 12 pieces by Saudi artists such as Ahmed Mater and Manal AlDowayan. Over a third of the lots are by women artists, including Etel Adnan, Helen Khal, Huguette Caland, Tala Madani, and Tagreed Darghouth, alongside North African figures like Mohamed Melehi and Hassan Hajjaj.

Asia's Biennials Survey: The Asia Pivot

asias biennials survey asia pivot

Asia is experiencing a significant surge in biennial exhibitions, with at least eight major events currently running from Singapore to Riyadh and several more scheduled for later this year. These large-scale exhibitions are increasingly serving as strategic tools for soft power, urban regeneration, and economic promotion, often backed by government funding to elevate a city's global profile.

Sarah Alruwayti on Riyadh's Shift from Vision to Execution

sarah alruwayti on riyadhs shift from vision to execution interview

Sarah Alruwayti, director of the Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium, discusses the evolution of Riyadh Art’s public art initiatives under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The symposium has grown from a local project into a global open-call forum, commissioning over 120 international sculptors to create permanent works using local materials like Saudi granite and reclaimed metal. The latest edition, themed "Traces of What Will Be," focuses on urban transformation and the historical context of Riyadh’s changing landscape.

Saudi pavilion at Venice Biennale turns fractured heritage into monumental art installation

Saudi Arabia has unveiled a large-scale installation by artist Dana Awartani at the 61st Venice Biennale, held at the Arsenale. Titled "May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones," the work covers the entire floor of the Saudi national pavilion and incorporates over 29,000 sunbaked clay bricks and mosaic patterns inspired by Islamic geometric art. The installation references 23 heritage sites across the Arab world that have been damaged or destroyed by conflict, and was produced over nearly 30,000 artisan hours with 32 craftspeople at a studio outside Riyadh. Curated by Antonia Carver with assistant curator Hafsa Alkhudairi, the piece emphasizes traditional craftsmanship and collective skill-sharing.

The 'Re:Wilding' Group Exhibition Gathers Artistic Voices in Riyadh

The independent group exhibition 'Re:Wilding' opens in Riyadh's JAX District at Misnad Gallery, coinciding with the 2026 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. Co-curated by Dena Nahar AlSaud and Dalya Suha Islam, the show features five Saudi and regional artists—Sireen Khalifah, Noor Alwan, Abdullah Al Amoudi, Khadija Arif, and Mashael Alsaie—working across painting, photography, and textiles. The exhibition explores themes of memory, imagination, and the Jungian inner child, aiming to rekindle curiosity and play in adult life.

Tuwaiq Sculpture 2026 presented by Riyadh Art

The seventh edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture will take place in Riyadh from January 12 to February 22, 2026. The annual public art symposium will bring 25 international artists to Tahlia Street to create large-scale sculptures on-site using local granite and reclaimed metals, with all finished works entering the permanent Riyadh Art collection for installation across the city.

Dana Awartani Mends Ancestral Wounds

Saudi artist Dana Awartani has created a new installation, 'Listen to my Words,' for the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. The work features a large-scale geometric floor pattern made from hand-dyed silk, which visitors are invited to walk upon, deliberately fraying and damaging the intricate design over the course of the exhibition.

OPEN CALL – Diriyah Art Futures: Emerging New Media Artists 2026-2027 Edition.

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has opened applications for its third Emerging New Media Artists Programme, a one-year fully supported residency running from October 2026 to October 2027. Developed in collaboration with Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains in France, the programme offers emerging artists aged 35 or under access to professional equipment, a production budget, mentorship by international digital artists, and multidisciplinary training in art, science, and technology. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2026, with a focus on applicants from the Middle East and North Africa.

Beginnings: Mapping the Origins of Saudi Modern Art in Riyadh

Mapping Saudi Modern Art’s Origins: “Bedayat” in Riyadh

The exhibition 'Bedayat: Beginnings of the Saudi Art Movement' at Riyadh's National Museum showcased over 250 artworks from the 1960s to 1980s, a period of rapid modernization. It featured archival materials like exhibition catalogs and scholarship letters, alongside paintings grouped into themes such as 'Faces and Features' and 'Social Life,' though the curation largely avoided direct commentary on the era's intense socio-political debates.

Printmaking takes center stage at JAX District exhibition

Printworks, an exhibition hosted by the Personage concept store and studio in Riyadh's JAX art district, showcases print-based works by artists, designers, and architects. Curated by Koren Dasoar and Dana Qabbani, the event aims to fill a gap in the local art community by supporting emerging talent and fostering public engagement through an open-door policy. The exhibition features artists including Hayat Osama, Naif Alquba, and the TwoMeem collective, and includes both existing artworks and a live screen-printing studio where visitors can learn about the process and purchase made-to-order prints.