The Sculptures of Jeddah- An Encounter with a Rare Collection of Twentieth-Century Art

Forty years ago Jeddah’s new mayor, Mohamed Said Farsi, decided to transform his city through an urban development scheme that placed contemporary art at its core. This was public art on a grand scale, designed ‘to bring delight to the citizen, to give a sense of wonder and stir a sense of history’. Works were commissioned from many of the world’s greatest contemporary sculptors, including Henry Moore, Jean Arp, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Arnaldo Pomodoro, and César, as well as some of the best sculptors of the Middle East. Now, a remarkable project to restore the works and the environment of the city and corniche has been undertaken by the Abdul Latif Jameel Foundation and the Municipality of Jeddah. The Sculptures of Jeddah not only documents this ambitious restoration with superb photographs taken by artist and photographer Ahmed Mater, it also offers a fascinating insight into the original project through contributions by Mayor Farsi, Clara Lafuente and the director of Tate Modern, Chris Dercon. Published in separate English and Arabic editions.