Sculptures of Jeddah

Sculptures of Jeddah: public art and urban memory in Jeddah

Sculptures of Jeddah is a project dedicated to documenting, restoring and promoting the sculptural heritage of the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The initiative gathers information about the public artworks that dot the city's streets, squares and avenues, many of them created by internationally renowned artists during the 1970s and 1980s.

The project's website serves as an informative catalogue and as a platform for accessing the Jeddah Sculpture Museum, an open-air museum that displays a selection of these sculptures. In addition, the project has published the book Sculptures of Jeddah: Twentieth-Century sculpture in the Arabian Peninsula, which documents the restoration and relocation of some 26 major works to that museum.

The legacy of Mohamed Said Farsi

The Jeddah sculpture collection dates back to the vision of Dr. Mohamed Said Farsi, mayor of the city in the 1970s and 1980s. Farsi drove an ambitious urban development plan that placed contemporary art at the heart of the planning of the city's new spaces. His stated aim was 'to bring delight to the citizen, to give a sense of wonder and stir a sense of history'.

To carry out this project, Farsi invited the architect Julio Lafuente to collaborate on the commissioning and selection of the sculptures that can be seen in Jeddah today. According to the site, it is estimated that the city has up to 600 sculptures distributed throughout its public spaces, making it a unique case of integrating art into the urban environment.

Featured works in the catalogue

The project's catalogue includes detailed entries for each sculpture, with information about the artist, location, materials, dimensions and theme. Among the documented works are:

• The Verse Boat, by Julio Lafuente (1921-2013), on Prince Sultan Street. Bronze, 20 tonnes. Islamic theme.
• The Eye, by César Baldaccini (1921-1998), at the Jeddah Sculpture Museum. Bronze, 500 cm high. Human Form theme.
• Oval with Points, by Henry Moore (1898-1986), at the Jeddah Sculpture Museum. Bronze, 400 cm high. Human Form theme.
• Magic Carpet, by an unknown artist, on Prince Faisal bin Fahd Street. Concrete and mosaic. Transport theme.
• The Fist, by César Baldaccini, on Prince Sultan Street. Bronze. Human Form theme.
• Al-Qiblah, by Julio Lafuente, on Al Andalus Street. Travertine marble. Islamic theme.
• Accident! (Crazy Speed), by Julio Lafuente, on Northern Corniche, Obhur district. Cars in reinforced concrete. Transport theme.
• Alterations in Space, by François Kovacs (1915-2005), at the Jeddah Sculpture Museum. Bronze, 110 cm high. Geometric theme.
• Tahliah Fountain, by Mustafa Senbel, on Al-Tahliah Street. Reinforced plastic. Geometric theme.

Publication and outreach

The book Sculptures of Jeddah: Twentieth-Century sculpture in the Arabian Peninsula documents the process of restoring and relocating 26 major works to the new open-air museum. The publication, according to the site's description, offers a unique glimpse into a city not easily visited and shows Saudi Arabia as a place of vision and innovation in art.

The project also includes a specific section for schools, suggesting an educational vocation and a commitment to promoting sculptural heritage among school audiences.

An open-air museum in Jeddah

The Jeddah Sculpture Museum is the space that concentrates a significant part of the restored works. This open-air museum allows visitors to explore the sculptures in an urban setting, maintaining the original idea of integrating art into the city's daily life. The Sculptures of Jeddah initiative thus seeks to preserve and raise awareness of an artistic legacy that, according to the site itself, is unparalleled in the world for the prominence of art in an urban environment.