Former British Museum director Hartwig Fischer has been named the founding director of a new world culture museum to open in 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The new museum will be located in the Royal Arts Complex in King Salman Park, now under construction. The 500,000-square-metre complex also includes a theatre, an outdoor amphitheatre, artist studios and cinema halls.
Designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, the museum will showcase world cultures across thousands of years in a 110-metre-high building.
Once completed, King Salman Park will be the largest urban park in the world, home to vast green spaces, sports facilities and immersive cultural and entertainment venues.
Fischer’s appointment was announced in a press release by the Saudi Museums Commission. An art historian, Fischer has extensive experience in curating exhibitions and leading cultural institutions.
With him at the helm, the new museum aims to be a dynamic hub for cultural exchange, offering innovative programming, educational initiatives, and collaborative partnerships.
Per a press release, “As the kingdom embarks on an unprecedented journey of cultural transformation, the establishment of such museum represents a pivotal moment in Saudi Arabia‘s cultural renaissance.
“This flagship museum… will play an important role in enriching the kingdom’s burgeoning cultural landscape.
New museum to showcase world cultures
“The museum also epitomizes the Saudi Museums Commission’s commitment to establishing state-of-the-art museums that celebrate global heritage and foster cross-cultural dialogue and understanding.”
Fischer resigned as the British Museum‘s director last year after thousands of treasures in the institution’s collection were reported missing, stolen or damaged. He joined the museum in 2016.
In a statement, he said he had taken responsibility for the museum’s failure to “respond as comprehensively as it should have” to warnings about the suspected thefts in 2021.
Earlier this year, the UK’s Science Museum Group signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia‘s culture ministry to create a museums hub in Riyadh.
Lead image credit: Benedict Johnson
