Black Gold Museum Opens in Riyadh's Zaha Hadid-Designed KAPSARC Complex

The Black Gold Museum has launched in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, within the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). This institution examines petroleum's historical impact through modern and contemporary art, featuring over 350 works by 170 international artists including Manal AlDowayan, Muhannad Shono, Ahmed Mater, Mohammad Alfaraj, and Ayman Zedani. Jack Persekian will serve as director, overseeing a collection owned by the Saudi Ministry of Culture under Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan. Housed in a former research library, the museum occupies one of five buildings in the KAPSARC complex originally designed by the late Zaha Hadid. London-based DaeWha Kang Design created the interior spaces. Spread across four floors, the venue includes permanent and rotating exhibition galleries, an event space, and an outdoor garden, encouraging reflection on oil's societal role and future implications.