New museum reflects on Saudi's post-oil future
As the kingdom plans for life after oil, crude has become a muse, with art spanning the eras before, during, and after it.
For centuries, oil in Saudi Arabia was as ubiquitous as the sky above, paying for the kingdom's art without any attention from its creators. Painters depicted palm trees, dates, dhows, and calligraphy, with crude oil funding their brushes. As the nation prepares for a post-oil era, oil has shifted from a mere source of funding to a muse for artists.
The Black Gold Museum in Riyadh showcases over 350 artworks in its Zaha Hadid-designed building, supported by the culture ministry and the state's petroleum think tank. In November, Jeddah-born brothers Turki and Abdulrahman Gazzaz will inaugurate Post-Oil 2026 at Qatar’s design biennial. The biennial’s poster features a still life familiar to every Jeddah resident: a rooftop of water tanks and air conditioners beneath a hazy sky.
Saudi artists previously painted around such scenes; now they are incorporating them into their works as nostalgic moments born of and supported by the oil boom.
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