AlUla - Exposition Arduna – Inauguration - Art moderne, Musée d’art moderne d’AlUla, Centre Pompidou Paris

CULTURAL DIALOGUE

DIALOGUE

CULTURAL

BORN OF AN UNPRECEDENTED

UNPRECEDENTED

BORN OF AN

AN EXHIBITION

ARDUNA,

Event

Until April 15, 2026,

the Arduna exhibition at AlUla invites the public

to explore our most intimate connections to the earth,

bringing together modern and contemporary art.

This event is the result of an unprecedented collaboration

between the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla, opening up a unique cultural dialogue between

their respective territories

and perspectives.

Until April 15, 2026, the Arduna exhibition at AlUla invites the public to explore our most intimate connections to the earth, bringing together modern and contemporary art. This event is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla, opening up a unique cultural dialogue between their respective territories and perspectives.

The Arduna exhibition embodies the shared ambition of France

and Saudi Arabia to position AlUla as a crossroads for international

cultural dialogue. For the first time, two major institutions

— the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla—

are combining their collections to offer an interpretation

of our relationship with the living world that is both poetic and political.

This partnership, supported by the French Agency for AlUla

development (AFALULA), illustrates the strength of a common project

serving contemporary creativity alongside the transmission of knowledge.

The Arduna exhibition embodies the shared ambition of France and Saudi Arabia to position AlUla as a crossroads for international cultural dialogue. For the first time, two major institutions— the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla—are combining their collections to offer an interpretation of our relationship with the living world that is both poetic and political. This partnership, supported by the French Agency for AlUla development (AFALULA), illustrates the strength of a common project serving contemporary creativity alongside the transmission of knowledge.

"This exceptional exhibition […] reflects the strength of the Saudi-French partnership in support of contemporary creation, the transmission of knowledge,

and the major challenges of our time.

It demonstrates the power of art to connect territories, histories, and perspectives, in a spirit of openness and trust."

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Chairman of AFALULA

"This exceptional exhibition […] reflects the strength of the Saudi-French partnership in support of contemporary creation, the transmission of knowledge, and the major challenges of our time.

It demonstrates the power of art to connect territories, histories, and perspectives, in a spirit of openness and trust.”

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Chairman of AFALULA

Co-designed by Anna Hiddleston (for the Centre Pompidou) and Candida Pestana (for the Royal Commission for AlUla), the Arduna exhibition is structured

around six themes. Visitors are invited to explore the many facets of nature

through varied landscapes, including gardens, forests, deserts and the wider cosmos. Each section examines our relationship with the world, between the evocation

of a lost paradise and the imagining of utopias yet to be rebuilt.

Paintings, sculptures, installations and immersive works form

a rich and sensitive journey, punctuated by major pieces by

Joan Mitchell, Vassily Kandinsky, Manal AlDowayan

and Dana Awartani. Bringing together 80 works from

the collections of the Centre Pompidou and

the Royal Commission for AlUla, the exhibition explores

essential themes such as climate change, migration

and contemporary issues related to urbanization.

Co-designed by Anna Hiddleston (for the Centre Pompidou) and Candida Pestana (for the Royal Commission for AlUla), the Arduna exhibition is structured around six themes. Visitors are invited to explore the many facets of nature through varied landscapes, including gardens, forests, deserts and the wider cosmos. Each section examines our relationship with the world, between the evocation of a lost paradise and the imagining of utopias yet to be rebuilt.

Paintings, sculptures, installations and immersive works form a rich and sensitive journey, punctuated by major pieces by Joan Mitchell, Vassily Kandinsky, Manal AlDowayan and Dana Awartani. Bringing together 80 works from collections of the Centre Pompidou and the Royal Commission for AlUla, the exhibition explores essential themes such as climate change, migration and contemporary issues related to urbanization.

A SENSORY JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF NATURE

Arduna is part of a broader dynamic: that of making AlUla a creative hub and a unique artistic ecosystem.

This ambition is notably embodied through major initiatives such as Desert X AlUla

and Villa Hegra, a bilateral cultural institution dedicated to artistic dialogue between the two nations.

By contributing to making AlUla a reference destination for contemporary creation, Arduna affirms its ambition to build bridges between peoples, eras, and disciplines, fostering a collective engagement with the challenges of tomorrow.

Arduna is part of a broader dynamic: that of making AlUla a creative hub and a unique artistic ecosystem. This ambition is notably embodied through major initiatives such as Desert X AlUla and Villa Hegra, a bilateral cultural institution dedicated to artistic dialogue between the two nations.

By contributing to making AlUla a reference destination for contemporary creation, Arduna affirms its ambition to build bridges between peoples, eras, and disciplines, fostering a collective engagement with the challenges of tomorrow.

MAKING ALULA A LIVING TERRITORY FOR CREATION

MAKING ALULA

A LIVING TERRITORY FOR CREATION

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