The Black Gold Museum is a permanent museum dedicated to oil, announced by the Ministries of Culture and Energy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 9, 2020. It is located at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh City. The museum presents a narrative of oil’s journey from its discovery to its contemporary transformations and features works by artists from various countries around the world.
The Black Gold Museum was established as part of the Quality of Life Program under the "Specialized Museums" initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture to create art museums dedicated to various creative fields.
Objectives of the Black Gold Museum
The Ministry of Culture aims to establish the Black Gold Museum to provide museums that support Saudi Arabia's cultural sector, host creative models that contribute to the growth of the cultural movement in Saudi Arabia, and promote the adoption of culture as a way of life. The museum seeks to attract a wide range of visitors, including families, students, tourists, and visual arts enthusiasts.
The museum provides a space to explore permanent art collections featuring works by international artists, along with temporary exhibitions, educational programs, and the opportunity to visit the Zaha Hadid-designed building created for KAPSARC.
Contents of the Black Gold Museum
The museum features artistic spaces containing more than two hundred artworks, a dedicated area for contemporary arts, multimedia, and visual performances, as well as spaces for permanent and temporary exhibitions and conference halls. The museum offers visits to KAPSARC, provides educational programs for all segments of society, and offers consultation spaces.
The Black Gold Museum narrates the story of the relationship between humans and oil through an artistic journey that explores oil’s evolution from its raw state to its diverse present-day applications. This relationship is presented through four main stations: the first, titled "The Encounter," the second, "Dreams," the third, "Doubts," and the fourth, "The Future." Each station features artworks that enhance the concept of creativity within the theme of its respective section.
Artworks at the Black Gold Museum
The museum showcases artworks created by artists from around the world, expressing various aspects of oil from historical, social, economic, and cultural perspectives. These works highlight the contributions of oil to human life through diverse creative formats, including painting, design, fashion, films, graphic illustration, photography, and sculpture. The exhibits provide visitors with a comprehensive understanding of the subject of oil.
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