With over eighty well-chosen pieces, Art Jameel presents a retrospective of Gulf art movements from the 1930s to the 2000s in Jeddah.

Opening the "Gulf Art Movements" exhibition with eighty pieces by more than fifty artists from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, Art Jameel Running through October 15, the exhibition "Redrawing the Boundaries," highlights the evolution of modern art in the Arabian Gulf from the 1930s all the way through the early 2000s.

Artworks from different artists are shown in four thematic sections: how landscapes are affected, identity, abstraction and conceptual methods. Works on display are provided by both Art Jameel and by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Sharjah Art Foundation.

Calligraphy from the Hurufiyya school and war-influenced paintings by Thuraya Al-Baqsami are among the exhibition’s main attractions. A film by the Omani artist Anwar Sonya is the centerpiece of the conceptual display on the upper floor.

Nora Razian, from Art Jameel, stated that the exhibit was “a new exploration of modernism,” and curator Aisha Stoby pointed out the key roles of the artists in setting up new art organizations and styles. Not only does the program recognize local talent, but it also introduces a new way of looking at Gulf art’s history.