Saudi Arabia is giving €50 million towards the renovation of Paris’ Centre Pompidou, in an expansion of its cultural partnership with France.
The funding was confirmed earlier this month by the French and Saudi culture ministers, Rachida Dati and Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, the Art Newspaper reports.
The Centre Pompidou is set to close for five years from summer 2025 for the €262m renovation. During the closure, the Pompidou will partner with institutions including the Grand Palais and the Louvre on various projects.
Under the new agreement with Saudi Arabia, France will develop a range of museum and heritage projects in the kingdom, including a new photography museum in Riyadh supported by the National School of Photography in Arles.
France to develop new museums for the kingdom
Other collaborations include the restoration of Saudi heritage sites, such as royal palaces, while archaeological sites will launch in the Qiddiya giga-project with assistance from the French National Institute for Archaeological Research.
France and Saudi first signed a series of agreements in 2018 to boost cultural cooperation between the two countries, including a new museum at AlUla in Saudi Arabia.
The $15 billion project, set to be the world’s largest living museum, is being created in three phases by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) alongside Afalula, the French government agency for the development.
One element of this is a new contemporary art museum in partnership with the Centre Pompidou. Lina Gotmeh will design the institution.
Ghotmeh previously said the museum will immerse visitors “in a creative journey from the desert expanse to the lush cultural oasis of AlUla, interweaving the natural environment, agriculture and art to reveal the heart of contemporary culture”.
AlUla is located close to Saudi’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, which opened to the public for the first time in 2020.
Upon completion in 2035, the destination will include five unique districts, five heritage sites, 15 cultural venues and museums, 10 million square metres of green space, and 5,000 hotel rooms.
Images courtesy of Centre Pompidou and RCU
