JEDDAH BOASTS FIRST MUSEUM SPECIFICALLY BUILT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000234

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
RIYADH, PLEASE, PASS, TO DHAHRAN, PARIS, FOR ZEYA, LONDON
FOR TSOU DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDED ADDEE'S)


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016
TAGS: OEXC SA SCUL
SUBJECT: JEDDAH BOASTS FIRST MUSEUM SPECIFICALLY BUILT TO
DOCUMENT SAUDI CULTURAL HERITAGE

Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL TATIANA GFOELLER FOR REASONS 1.4
(b) AND (d).


1. (U) SUMMARY. CG and ConOff visited the Jeddah Darah
museum, home to the permanent exhibition of local artist
Safeya Binzagr's artwork and her collection of Saudi cultural
antiquities. From oil paintings that depict early twentieth
century Saudi marriage ceremonies to lithographs that depict
Bedouin camps, the museum offers the public a rare glimpse
into the Saudi contemporary art movement. When asked about
the inspiration for her subject matter, Ms. Binzagr replied,
"My paint brush became the instrument of documenting our
heritage...pictures of the traditions we have lost in our
rush forward." While many other art museums in Saudi Arabia
functioned at one time as an office or home, the Darah was
specifically designed and built to serve as a museum. In
addition to displaying artwork that catalogs Saudi Arabia's
cultural heritage, the museum also boasts one of the few fine
arts libraries in the Kingdom and provides public art lessons
to both women and children. Literary and art lectures are
held periodically, and Saudi women pursuing higher degrees in
art and art history serve as "resident scholars". With Ms.
Binzagr's ambitious plans to expand the museum's educational
and public outreach efforts, the museum has the potential to
set THE example for responsible and progressive cultural
conservation for all of Saudi Arabia. END SUMMARY.

THE FIRST OF ITS KIND


2. (U) CG and ConOff had the opportunity to visit the Safeya
Binzagr Darah museum in Jeddah. The museum is the site for
the permanent exhibition of local artist Safeya Binzagr's own
artwork and her collection of Saudi cultural antiquities. CG
and ConOff were met by Ms. Binzagr who explained the impetus
behind the museum. In the early 1960s, Ms. Binzagr began
painting scenes depicting traditional Saudi life. While her
work had been exhibited in private homes and museums in Saudi
and abroad, she wanted to build a publicly-accessible museum
in which she could display all of her works in Jeddah. While
other galleries in Saudi Arabia had at one time functioned as
an office or home, Ms. Binzagr specifically designed the
Darah to serve as a museum. The construction was completed
in 1995, but the museum did not open until 2000 when it was
fully equipped to collect, preserve, and exhibit her works.
As Ms. Binzagr explained, "the inauguration of the Darah was
a significant cultural event in Saudi because the
establishment of art museums by private individuals is a rare
event in the Arab World...for the first time, I could be sure
that my art would be preserved in the manner it needed to
be."


3. (C) COMMENT. While it is clear that Ms. Binzagr's primary
interest in establishing the museum was to have a place to
showcase her work, it became evident to CG and ConOff that
she also wants to establish a precedent in Saudi Arabia. By
designing and building her own museum, she hopes to encourage
other Saudis to establish similar museums, thereby extending
the scope of Saudi cultural preservation beyond archeology
and folklore. To this end, Ms. Binzagr and her staff reach
out to private Saudi businessmen from throughout the Kingdom
to encourage them to make charitable donations to this and
possible future museums. END COMMENT.

CONTEMPORARY APPROACH, ANCIENT THEME


4. (U) Ms. Binzagr defines her work as "Saudi contemporary
art." While her artistic approach is modern and, at times,
abstract in design, each of her pieces depicts some element
of early Saudi social history. Oil paintings and lithographs
depicting everything from a traditional women's souq in
Riyadh to the experiences of a 1920s bride and groom on their
wedding day hang in the museum's main gallery. There are
also images of rugged fishermen going about their daily
routines, traditional Arabian architecture that "is rapidly
disappearing", and Bedouin men and women surviving the harsh
desert without modern amenities. When asked about the
inspiration for her subject matter, Ms. Binzagr replied, "My
paint brush became the instrument of documenting our
heritage...pictures of the traditions we have lost in our
rush forward. I was determined to leave a complete record of
our cultural heritage for future generations."


5. (C) In addition to fine art, the museum also has a rare
collection of traditional Saudi women's costumes, which Ms.
Binzagr has acquired through donations. Most of the gowns
and head dressings were elaborate pieces used in marriage

ceremonies. COMMENT. CG noted that while some of the
costumes were clearly made using traditional hand-stitching
techniques, some were not. Ms. Binzagr admitted that some
were actually machine-made to look "traditional",
highlighting the fact that, despite her best efforts, the
acquisition of "real" period-clothing from Saudi Arabia's
early days is next to impossible. Saudi culture has not
historically valued "artifacts", which is all the more reason
why Ms. Binzagr's work is so important. END COMMENT.

THE MAKINGS OF AN ART INSTITUTE


6. (U) Above the first-story gallery is an entire floor
dedicated to art education. Under the direction of Ms.
Binzagr the museum conducts two art classes - one comprised
of children and the other exclusively of women - and
maintains one of the largest libraries in Saudi Arabia
dedicated to art technique and history. She has encouraged
students and supporters to donate English and Arabic art
books to grow her collection. Currently, nine Saudi women
pursuing higher degrees in art and art history utilize the
museum's resources, including the library and fine art
collection. Another dozen women have already received their
higher degrees after serving as "resident scholars" in the
museum. Recently, the museum has begun holding public
literary and art lectures and has developed a website to
increase the scope of their public outreach.


7. (U) The museum organizes an annual children's art
competition for children and recently invited children
between the ages of nine and fourteen to submit a drawing or
painting on the theme of "Red Sea angel fish." Last year's
theme was "traditional Arabian door architecture." The
winners' art will be displayed at a local shopping mall and
included in the museum's yearly calendar. According to Ms.
Binzagr, more than 100 children from throughout Saudi Arabia
participate every year in the competition.


7. (C) COMMENT. The educational portion of the museum has
the look and feel of a small-scale art institute and of a
center for the exploration of Saudi art history, a novel
concept in Saudi culture. With Ms. Binzagr's ambitious plans
to expand the museum building, its collection, its public
outreach efforts, and its studios, the museum certainly has
the potential to set THE example for responsible and
progressive cultural conservation for all of Saudi Arabia.
END COMMENT.

Gfoeller