The exhibition opens at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia on 27 January.

Saudi Arabia has been making serious moves on the cultural front, spotlighting everything from film and music to heritage festivals and cutting-edge design. Now, Riyadh is set to welcome a major moment for the art scene, as an exhibition documenting the early days of the Kingdom’s modern art movement arrives for the first time.

Titled Bedayat: Beginnings of the Saudi Art Movement, the exhibition opens on 27 January 2026 and runs until 11 April 2026 at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh’s Al Murabba’a district. Organised by the Visual Arts Commission, Bedayat celebrates and documents the formative decades of Saudi art, focusing on the period from the 1960s to the 1980s, a time marked by sweeping cultural, social, and economic change.

This is not a surface-level survey. The exhibition is grounded in extensive research, including over 80 site visits, 120 detailed artist reports, and 50 in-depth interviews with artists and key figures from the era. Together, that material builds a richer picture of how the modern art movement took shape, from early education and mentorship to the institutions and exhibition platforms that helped artists find their footing.

Curated by Qaswra Hafez, Bedayat brings together paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and a carefully selected collection of archival materials. Expect a window into early exhibitions and the development of art education in the Kingdom, alongside the stories and context that framed the work.

The exhibition is structured into three sections. The Foundation of the Modern Art Movement in Saudi Arabia explores how individual artists and state support worked in tandem to build an emerging scene. Currents of Modernity examines how Saudi artists engaged with modern life and global art movements. The final section, Modernist Pioneers, spotlights four key figures: Mohammed Al Saleem, Safeya Binzagr, Mounirah Mosly, and Abdulhalim Radwi.

Beyond the gallery, visitors can also expect talks, workshops, and masterclasses covering early art education, the role of teachers, and why preserving archives matters. As the Kingdom’s contemporary art ecosystem continues to expand, Bedayat offers a timely look back at the artists and efforts that laid the groundwork.

GO: Visit https://engage.moc.gov.sa for more information.