Imagine building a museum so big it makes the Louvre look like a charming little gift shop. Well, Saudi Arabia is doing just that. The upcoming Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMoCA) just got a cool $490 million injection from Diriyah Company, a real estate firm that clearly thinks in superlatives.
This isn't just pocket change; it's a massive commitment to a cultural landmark. SAMoCA is slated to cover a whopping 883,000 square feet. For context, the Louvre in Paris clocks in at about 782,000 square feet. So, yes, it's bigger. Much bigger.
The Dubai-based architecture firm Godwin Austen Johnson, also behind the Sharjah Art Foundation, is designing the behemoth. While the main museum will anchor Diriyah, it will also sprawl into nearby Riyadh with satellite exhibitions. Because if you're going big, why not go everywhere?
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Start Your News DetoxDiriyah Company, chaired by none other than Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, recently snagged a spot on Time magazine's 100 most influential list. Their praise? "The kingdom’s tourism dreams aren’t just blueprints." Which, if you think about it, is a pretty polite way of saying, "They're actually building the things they said they'd build."
Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Company, declared the museum will be a "world-class platform" for both local and international artists, inviting global voices to engage with modern Saudi Arabia. The goal, he says, is to cement Diriyah's reputation as the "Kingdom’s capital of culture." And also, you know, build a vibrant city.
The Art Scene's New Heavyweight
Saudi Arabia's art scene has been on a growth spurt, already hosting two biennials in Diriyah (one for contemporary art, one for Islamic art). This cultural push is part of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030, a $2 trillion plan to diversify the economy away from its oil dependency. Because apparently, a museum the size of a small country is a solid investment in the future.
Now, while they're throwing money at their own cultural projects, there have been some… adjustments elsewhere. The Metropolitan Opera in New York, for instance, was expecting $200 million last year, only to see that funding evaporate this year. The Met is now reportedly considering selling its Marc Chagall murals for $55 million. So, while SAMoCA gets a nearly half-billion-dollar boost, other institutions are left to ponder the resale value of priceless art. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of funding landscape, apparently.
