Saudi Arabia is planning to build a version of the Louvre museum in Riyadh, according to a claim in a new BBC documentary on the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
The Louvre of Saudi Arabia would feature artwork valued at close to $500 million, with the gallery acting as a magnet for global tourism.
Bernard Haykel. a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princetown University, told the programme that the prince has a desire to “build a very large museum in Riyadh”.
It is claimed the Saudis have hired several art leaders to oversee the plans. They are thought to include Iwona Blazwick, former director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London and Hartwig Fischer, former director of the British Museum.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi was opened in November 2017, with a deal between the UAE and France that allows the museum to use the Louvre name until 2047.
