The Painting & Patronage initiative, www.paintingandpatronage.org.uk, was established in Riyadh in 1999. It was created by Asir Governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal in partnership with the initiative’s Founding Chairman Anthony Bailey. The principal aim of the initiative is to build bridges of cultural, artistic and educational understanding between the Arab world and Europe.
The Painting & Patronage initiative also serves to create international, high-profile platforms for statesmen from the Arab world and Europe to highlight and promote their roles as either artists in their own right or as patrons of the arts. Worthy cultural exchange programs for students between participating countries provide the educational framework and solid charitable foundation necessary for each Painting & Patronage initiative. Due to the high level nature of each initiative, private sector sponsors usually finance each exchange in conjunction with the respective state authorities.
The first Painting & Patronage initiative took place in London in 2000 and united Prince Khaled Al-Faisal with The Prince of Wales in what became the largest ever cultural exchange program between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The second Painting & Patronage exhibition was held in Riyadh. The third Painting & Patronage initiative was launched in 2005 at the historic National Palace of Sintra, Portugal with a return event to be held in Riyadh in early 2006.