Tour Guide, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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In the 1970s, Jeddah’s mayor, Mohammed Said Farsi, initiated the ‘Jeddah Beautification Project’ and purchased more than 400 sculptures, including major works by international artists such as Henry Moore, Joan Miro, and Alexander Calder, among others. The sculpture collection is one of the world’s most extensive focussed on public art, and no doubt the most diverse: the style of the sculptures ranges from traditional Arabic designs to the abstract and monumental.
Open-Air Sculpture Museum
Exposed to the harsh local climate, by the 2000s, some of the sculptures were beginning to show signs of deterioration. Therefore, Art Jameel, in collaboration with Jeddah Municipality, decided to not only restore some of the sculptures but also to increase their prominence by creating an open-air sculpture museum, showcasing 20 works in a seven square kilometer park along the middle Corniche in Jeddah, known locally as ‘Al Hamraa’.
The most important artist's designers for figures:
Famous British artist Henry Moore
The French artist Victor Vasarely, and César Baldaccini
Spanish artist Juan Miro
American artist Alexander Calder
German artist Jean Arp
Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro
Egyptian artist Mostafa Sonbol
Syrian artist Rabi Al-Akhras
Entrance to Jeddah Sculpture Museum:
The entrance to Jeddah Sculpture Museum is free and open to all.