Exhibition 'Bedayat' Explores Saudi Arabia's Modern Art Movement Origins in Riyadh

The exhibition 'Bedayat: Beginnings of the Saudi Art Movement' was presented at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh from January 27 to April 11, 2026. Curated by Qaswra Hafez, a prominent figure in Saudi art circles, the show featured more than 250 works by 73 artists, focusing on artistic production from the 1960s through the 1980s. The exhibition was organized into three main sections: 'Foundations of the Modern Art Movement in Saudi Arabia,' which displayed archival materials like exhibition catalogs, scholarship letters, and sketches for public commissions; 'Currents of Modernity,' grouping paintings under themes such as portraiture, landscape, social life, and symbolism; and 'Modernist Pioneers,' offering solo presentations for artists Mohammed Alsaleem, Safeya Binzagr, Mounirah Mosly, and Abdulhalim Radwi. The show aimed to document the rapid development of Saudi Arabia's art scene against a backdrop of significant social and economic change, including the oil boom and debates about modernity. However, critical commentary noted that exhibition texts provided limited historical context regarding the kingdom's political transformations, industrialization, and media expansion during those decades. Notable artworks included Dia Aziz Dia's 1979 sketch for the Makkah Gate, Khalil Hassan Khalil's 'The Broken Mirror' (1982), and Mounirah Mosly's 'Land of Solidities' (1970). The exhibition also highlighted milestones such as the first solo exhibition by a Saudi artist in Jeddah in 1965 by Abdulhalim Radwi and the first exhibitions by women in the kingdom in 1968 by Binzagr and Mosly. 'Bedayat' is described as part of a larger research initiative that will include a catalog, documentary, and public programs, serving as institutional recognition for this generation of artists and an educational resource.