The Kuwaiti modern art movement emerged in the 1930s, Kuwait has the oldest modern arts movement in the Arabian Peninsula. [1] Kuwait is home to more than 20 art galleries. [2] In recent years, Kuwait's contemporary art scene has boomed. [3] [4] [5] Kuwait has the second most lively gallery scene in the GCC (after Dubai). [6] [7] [8]
The Amiri Diwan recently inaugurated the new Kuwait National Cultural District (KNCD), which comprises Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, Al Shaheed Park, and Al Salam Palace. [9] [10] With a capital cost of more than US$1 billion, the project is one of the largest cultural investments in the world. [10] In November 2016, the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre opened. [11] [12] It is the largest cultural centre in the Middle East. [13] [14] The Kuwait National Cultural District is a member of the Global Cultural Districts Network. [15]
Kuwait has the oldest modern arts movement in the Arabian Peninsula. [1] Beginning in 1936, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to grant scholarships in the arts. [1] The Kuwaiti artist Mojeb al-Dousari was the earliest recognized visual artist in the Persian Gulf region. [16] He is regarded as the founder of portrait art in the region. [17] In 1943, al-Dousari launched Kuwait's first art gallery.
The Sultan Gallery was the first professional Arab art gallery in the Persian Gulf region. [18] [19] Khalifa Al-Qattan was the first Kuwaiti artist to hold a solo artist exhibition in Kuwait. He founded a new art theory in the early 1960s known as "circulism". [20] [21] Other notable Kuwaiti artists include Sami Mohammad, Thuraya Al-Baqsami and Suzan Bushnaq.
List of art galleries in Kuwait:
The House of Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait.
Kuwait is well known in the region for its exploration of many different and new forms of music and dance. Kuwait is the birthplace of various popular musical genres such as sawt. Kuwait is widely considered the centre of traditional music in the GCC region.
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah or Jaber III was Emir of Kuwait from 31 December 1977 until his death in 2006.
Culture of Kuwait describes the cultural aspects of the Kuwaiti society and is part of the Eastern Arabian culture. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of dialect poetry, film, theatre, radio and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exported to neighboring states. Within the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the culture of Kuwait is the closest to the culture of Bahrain.
Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was Emir of Kuwait from 2020 until his death in 2023.
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. With a coastline of approximately 500 km (311 mi), Kuwait also shares a maritime border with Iran. Most of the country's population reside in the urban agglomeration of Kuwait City, the capital and largest city. As of 2023, Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million, of which 1.53 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries.
Jaber is an Arabic name for males used as a given name and surname. Alternative spellings are Gaber, Jabir and Jabeur.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is a museum in Doha, Qatar with over 9,000 objects. Established in 2010, it is considered a major cultural attraction in the country.
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was the tenth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 29 March 1921 until his death on 29 January 1950. He was the longest reigning ruler of Kuwait having reigned for a total 28 years and 305 days.
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was the Emir of Kuwait from 24 January 2006 until his death in 2020.
The modern Bahraini art movement emerged in the 1950s, with the establishment of an Arts and Literature club in 1952. The club served as an umbrella group for professional and amateur artists, musicians, and actors in Bahrain. In 1956, the first art exhibition was held in the Bahraini capital, Manama. Expressionism and surrealism, as well as calligraphic art are the popular forms of art in the country. Abstract expressionism has gained popularity in recent decades.
The Battle of Al-Regeai, acknowledged as the final significant military engagement in the early historical period of Kuwait, occurred on 28 January 1928. It transpired under the rule of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the 10th ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait. Marking a technological milestone, the battle featured the first utilization of vehicles in Kuwaiti combat. The conflict was instigated by an Ikhwan raid against Kuwaiti farmers at Umm Al-Ruweisat, situated northwest of Al Jahra. Approximately five hundred Ikhwan horsemen launched the attack, leading to the occupation of the farms.
Nuqat is a nonprofit organisation based in Kuwait that focuses on cultural development in the region. Diverse participants from all over the world join Nuqat throughout the year to discuss design, entrepreneurship, architecture, fine arts, technology, culture, and every aspect of life that creativity permeates.
The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), informally known as the Kuwait Opera House, is a cultural center in Kuwait, located on the Gulf Road in the capital Kuwait City. It is the largest cultural center and opera house in the Middle East. The cultural centre is part of the Kuwait National Cultural District.
Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah is a cultural organization operating several cultural centers in Kuwait.
The Kuwait National Cultural District is multibillion-dollar development project that focuses on the arts and culture in Kuwait. With a capital cost of more than US$1 billion, the project is one of the largest cultural investments in the world today. The Kuwait National Cultural District is a member of the Global Cultural Districts Network.
The Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre is a cultural complex located in Kuwait City Kuwait, owned by the Amiri Diwan. It consists of six main components; The Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Space Museum, Arabic Islamic Science Museum, Fine Arts Centre and the external spaces known as the Public Realm. The Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre is a 18-hectare site making it the world's largest museum complex. The Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre was inaugurated in early 2018, it was the world's largest single-delivery museum project.
Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense of Kuwait, and before that he was the head of the Amiri Diwan in 2006–2017. Nasser was the eldest son of the hereditary ruler or Emir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1929–2020). Prior to his death in December 2020, just seventy-two days after his father's death, Nasser was identified as a leading candidate to become the Crown Prince of Kuwait, or the heir apparent. He was a key figure in Kuwait's Vision 2035 plan, which included a planned city in northern Kuwait dubbed "Silk City".