Metropolitan Museum And Saudi Non-Profit Art Jameel Acquires Middle Eastern Modern And Contemporary Art

Art Jameel has recently annouced that it will engage into a long-term partnership with New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. This exciting new phase of development will enable the Museum to acquire works by modern and contemporary artists from the Middle East. Such particular area of art history has been eyed by many museums in Europe and the United States of America.

Based on Saudi Arabia, Art Jameel is a non-profit organization that supports arts, education and heritage in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is known as one of the most visited museums in the world. Art Jameel’s partnership with the museum further raises the profile of contemporary Middle Eastern artists and at the same time increases international dialogue, according to Art News.

To support the activities relative to the promote Middle Eastern initiatives, Art Observed reported that the Art Jameel Fund was established in partnership with The Met for acquisitions, global contemporary programming, and the Arabic translation of educational resources. The fund recent acquisition were a video work and photographs by the Egyptian artist Maha Maamoun.

This kind of partnership gives further support to contemporary artists from the middle east region and to share their work with a broad international public. Clare Davies, the Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, talked about the partnership, stating, “Art Jameel’s support allows the museum to put the most exciting contemporary practices and influential modern works from across the region in conversation with its rich collections and diverse audiences.”

In addition to the new collaboration with The Met, Art Jameel’s also announced the news ahead of the opening of its new space on winter 2018- the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. It will be one of the first nonprofit contemporary art institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The art centre will occupy 107,640 square feet, and will be designed by the British firm Serie Architects. The Dia Art Foundation’s director, Jessica Morgan, and curator and writer Murtaza Vali are presently in charge of overseeing the arts center’s curatorial council.