The art comes from various regions of the Kingdom from the 1980s to today and thus provide the first comprehensive overview in France of modern Saudi art.

Artists express themselves through different media: Painting, installation, sculpture and photography. The diversity of themes question prejudices and stereotypes about this country that is so little known in France.

Through the mediation of Artes Gallery (Paris) and Hewar Art Gallery (Riyadh-Saudi Arabia), 33 Saudi men and women were invited to showcase their talents. Through their works the artists have tried to show their cultural roots.

This exhibition, alongside that of the Louvre’s “Routes d’Arabie — Archaeology and History of Saudi Arabia,” allows a new look at this country. It has allowed for two different visions to be displayed: Historical treasures from the Kingdom at the Louvre and the exposition of the contemporary Saudi art at the Musée du Montparnasse.

The choice of the venue for the art show was also visionary. The Musée du Montparnasse, a place of singular artistic encounters, including the School of Paris, with Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Leger and many others, and the Institute of Cultural Development Strategies (ISDC), dedicated to dialogue among civilizations, have teamed up to present a panorama of contemporary art in Saudi Arabia.

Artworks of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Tassan, Abduljabar Al-Yahya, Shadia Alem, Abdulhalim Radawi, Abdullah Hammas, Abdurahman Sulaiman, Awdah Al-Zahrani, Fahad Hajailan, Lamis Abdo Al-Natour, Mohammad Al-Rabbat, Mohammad Saleem, Naser Al-Mousa, Reem Al-Faisal, Othman Khuzaim, Sameer Al-Daham, Taha Al-Sabban, Ahmad Felemban, Abdulaziz Ashour, Mohammad Farea, Thagreed Bakshi, Najla Al-Saleem, Huda Al-Omar, Mofarea Al-Asiry, Wasimia Al-Asiry, Sherrifa Al-Sudairy, Khalid Al-Owais, Abdullah Idrees, Awatef, Asma Al-Dakheel, Hussein Al-Mohaisen, Lulwah Al-Hommoud and Abdulrahman Al-Ablan are on display.

A snapshot on some of the exhibitors provides an insight into the variety and diversity of the artworks. Some of the works are pioneering efforts. Pioneers, by nature, are unbreakable. Facing hardships and against all odds, only fuels their passion and strengthens their resolve to venture into uncharted territories and discover new worlds.

Abduljabbar Al-Yahya, 80-years-old, is a pioneer artist of Saudi Arabia. One who leads by example through what he has achieved, created and projected over the decades. Yahya focuses all his work on the notion of belonging: Belonging to himself and his inner conflicts, to family, to people, a nation. Belonging to humanity, “this physiological and existential being.”

Another unique personality is Shadia Alem, also a major artist of Saudi Arabia. She expresses herself through painting and installations. She has a great number of exhibitions, particularly internationally.

Her sister Raja Alem is a well-known author of short stories, poetry, novels and plays. They regularly collaborate for artistic creations, including “the Eye of Jah.” Both sisters try to capture the identity of the Saudi women, and the otherness gender through their art.

They also address other topics related to global events, as this singular vision of Sept. 11, 2001, with an installation entitled “Destruction against Creation.” Connected to the 20th and 21st centuries, Shadia Alem’s work is also and always imbued with spirituality, which connects her to timeless dimension.

Meanwhile, Lulwah Al-Hommoud, a graphic artist, has created a unique concept.

Lulwah says: “Above all forms of communication, the relation between the Creator and the creation fascinates me most. This dimension inspires my creativity: Producing designs without the restriction of time and space, where there is no limit for my soul to grow. Despite my love to the Arabic letter forms, I did not want to use, or follow the rules of traditional graphic expression.

“I created new codes, combining the letter, number and a geometrical concept. These codes allow the word and the geometric pattern created to become One.”

It was the collaboration between the Hewar Art Gallery-Riyadh and the Artes Gallery (Paris) that allowed for these artworks to be seen by the multitudes. The Hewar Art Gallery is located at the heart of Riyadh, on the 52nd floor of the famous “Al Mamlaka tower”, which is a singular work of architecture, providing an abstract, unique view of the capital city.

Founded in 2006, its name means “dialogue”. Dialogue within the Arab world, with the presentation of Saudi artists, but also artists from the Gulf, and from the whole Middle East to North Africa. Dialogue with the West, since the gallery also shows artworks of American and European artists of renown

Hewar Art Gallery is convinced that art brings together the people around a common understanding. If it is interested in artistic expressions that reflect the heritage of the region, the gallery also shows very contemporary creations. The gallery owns significant art collections, with a predilection for painting.

Hewar Art Gallery is undoubtedly one of the most important galleries of Saudi Arabia today. It makes a pioneering work in promoting art and by collecting history of art of Arabia (20th and 21st centuries).

The Artes Gallery-Paris too was founded in 2006, and is located in one of the most beautiful districts of Paris: Saint-Germain, not far from Notre-Dame and the Ile Saint-Louis.

The gallery promotes contemporary art from France and elsewhere, exhibiting French and international artists. There are painters, sculptors and photographers, “installers.” Among these “artists of today” it has a strong focus on women. Beside confirmed talents, the gallery also discovers new talents.

With its own sensibility, marked by intercultural exchanges, it looks, always, for authenticity.

The gallerist was the first to introduce contemporary Saudi art in France, in 2003, with a photography exhibition at the most important art festival in France “Festival d’Avignon”, showing two women artists. In 2004, she made a presentation of 200 artworks at “Lille2004 — European Capital of Culture”.