Makkah governor Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah will inaugurate on Wednesday night the Jeddah Open Museum along the Jeddah Corniche following a restoration process by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI) of the sculptures which have been a permanent feature of the landscape for the last four decades.

The ALJCI tasked itself with restoring the sculptures and monuments in the streets and roundabouts of Jeddah and along the Jeddah Corniche about a year ago. Through this initiative, the ALJCI restored over 26 sculptures by world-renowned artists and contracted with international companies specialized in the restoration of antiquities and museums.

Fadi Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, president of ALJCI International said, “ALJCI’s efforts stem from its social and national responsibility where it seeks to protect Jeddah’s sculptures. Therefore, it embarked on the restoration and re-distribution of the sculptures.”

He praised the Jeddah Municipality’s cooperative efforts saying that they had played a major role in the success of the project. The project covers an area of 7,000 square meters to be converted into a beautiful cultural and art park,” Jameel added.

The ALJCI successfully restored the sculptures to their original shapes and colors in cooperation with the Jeddah Development & Urban Regeneration Company (JDURC). The ALJCI also contracted several highly specialized companies for the restoration process.

The sculptures include works by prominent international artists such as Henry Moore (UK), Victor Vazarelly and Cesar Baldicini (France), Joan Miro (Spain), Alexander Calder (US), Jane ARB (Germany), Lafuente (Italy), and Arab artists, e.g. Mustafa Sunbul (Egypt) and Rabi’a Al Akhras (Syria).