Saudi Arabia is to establish a new cultural centre in Paris, creating a permanent platform through which the Kingdom can present its heritage, artistic development and contemporary creative industries to French and international audiences.
The announcement was made by the Saudi Ministry of Culture during the official visit to France of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the centre will reinforce cultural relations between Saudi Arabia and France through programmes, institutional partnerships and opportunities bringing together artists, cultural organisations and creative professionals from both countries.
It will seek not only to promote Saudi culture and its historical depth, but also to introduce European audiences to the rapidly evolving contemporary cultural scene emerging across the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Culture said the centre would present Saudi Arabia’s “historical depth and creative diversity” through cultural programmes and initiatives involving French institutions, practitioners and the wider public.
It will also support the international presence of Saudi artists and cultural professionals, encourage exchanges of expertise and facilitate the development of joint initiatives between Saudi and French organisations.
A permanent Saudi presence in a global cultural capital
The choice of Paris is highly significant.
As one of the world’s most influential centres for art, fashion, architecture, design, gastronomy, cinema and luxury, the French capital offers Saudi Arabia an exceptional international platform.
Paris is also home to UNESCO and some of the world’s most important museums, cultural institutions, auction houses, galleries and creative businesses. A permanent centre in the city could therefore provide Saudi cultural organisations with direct access to a particularly extensive professional network.
Although Saudi Arabia has participated in exhibitions, festivals and cultural events throughout France, the proposed centre represents something more permanent: a dedicated base from which long-term relationships, recurring programmes and collaborative projects can be developed.
Its activities are expected to bring together Saudi and French creatives while introducing the public to both the Kingdom’s civilisational heritage and its contemporary artistic output.
For Saudi Arabia, this is an opportunity to tell a broader and more nuanced story about the country—one that extends beyond the images traditionally associated with the Kingdom.
It could encompass archaeology, visual arts, film, literature, music, architecture, design, fashion, crafts, culinary heritage and the preservation of historic sites, as well as the new generation of Saudi creatives now gaining international recognition.
The next stage of a developing cultural relationship
The announcement should be viewed within the context of the increasingly substantial cultural relationship between Saudi Arabia and France.
The most visible expression of that relationship has been the development of AlUla. In 2018, the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement supporting the sustainable transformation of the region into a major international cultural and tourism destination.
That cooperation led to the creation of the French Agency for AlUla Development, AFALULA, which mobilises French expertise in fields including archaeology, museums, architecture, hospitality, environmental protection, infrastructure and destination development.
During the Crown Prince’s latest visit, France and Saudi Arabia signed a new agreement extending and strengthening their strategic partnership for the development of AlUla until 2035, according to AFALULA.
AlUla itself combines dramatic desert landscapes with thousands of years of human history. Its most celebrated site, Hegra, was the first Saudi property to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and contains more than 100 monumental Nabataean tombs.
The Saudi-French partnership has gradually expanded beyond the conservation and development of archaeological sites to encompass museums, contemporary art, cinema, artistic residencies, design, training and the creative economy.
From Villa Hegra to Paris
Another important milestone was the opening of Villa Hegra in AlUla in October 2025.
Described as a cultural institution born from the friendship between Saudi Arabia and France, Villa Hegra provides a setting for exhibitions, performances, film screenings, workshops, artistic residencies and professional exchanges.
The institution includes AlUla’s first indoor cinema and works with Saudi and international artists, cultural bodies and educational partners. Its growing programme demonstrates how cultural cooperation can provide both internationally visible events and opportunities for local communities and creative talent.
The proposed centre in Paris could, in many respects, become the European counterpart to Villa Hegra: a place where Saudi culture is presented abroad, while ideas, expertise and creative projects circulate in both directions.
This possibility is particularly interesting because the relationship is becoming increasingly reciprocal. France is not simply exporting cultural knowledge and technical expertise to Saudi Arabia. Saudi artists, designers, filmmakers and institutions are now developing a stronger presence in France.
That momentum is already visible. From 8 to 13 September 2026, the exhibition Vie des Formes will be presented at Lafayette Anticipations during Paris Design Week. Organised through a partnership between AlUla and the Paris institution, it is the first major event in a wider AlUla cultural season in the French capital.
The new Saudi cultural centre could give such programmes a permanent home and allow them to continue throughout the year.
Opportunities for tourism and hospitality
The initiative also has potentially important implications for tourism.
Culture is central to Saudi Arabia’s strategy of developing a diversified visitor economy under Vision 2030. Heritage destinations, museums, festivals, art installations, architecture, film, design and traditional crafts are all helping to define the country’s emerging international tourism identity.
A cultural centre in Paris could become a valuable point of contact for potential travellers, journalists, tour operators, luxury travel advisors and hospitality professionals seeking to understand the Kingdom’s destinations and cultural offer.
Its exhibitions and events could create curiosity about places such as AlUla, Diriyah, Historic Jeddah, Riyadh, Al-Ahsa and the landscapes and traditions of the country’s different regions.
This is particularly relevant to the high-end tourism sector. Today’s luxury traveller is increasingly looking for access, authenticity, expertise and meaningful encounters rather than simply premium accommodation.
By presenting Saudi artists, curators, craftspeople, historians, filmmakers and cultural institutions in Paris, the centre could help the travel industry develop richer narratives around the Kingdom. It may also encourage the creation of specialist cultural itineraries, private visits, collector journeys, architectural tours and experiences connected to exhibitions, festivals and major events.
For the French tourism and hospitality sector, the centre could create new opportunities for institutional cooperation, professional missions, training, cultural programming and business partnerships.
Important details still to come
The Saudi Ministry of Culture has not yet disclosed the centre’s proposed address, opening date, budget, leadership or architectural plans.
Nor has it announced whether the building will include exhibition galleries, performance spaces, a cinema, library, language facilities, restaurant, shop or artist-residency accommodation.
The French organisations that will formally participate in the project have also not yet been named.
It is therefore more accurate, at this stage, to describe the initiative as a confirmed project rather than an institution that is already operational.
These practical details will determine the centre’s eventual scale and influence. Nevertheless, the political and cultural intention is clear: Saudi Arabia wants to establish a lasting presence in Paris and create a permanent meeting place between the creative communities of the two countries.
More than a showcase
If developed ambitiously, the Saudi cultural centre could become much more than a national showcase.
It could function as a cultural embassy, a professional hub and a venue for genuine exchange—introducing French audiences to the Kingdom while giving Saudi practitioners greater access to European networks, institutions and markets.
Its success will ultimately depend on the quality of its programming, the strength of its partnerships and its ability to encourage open, sustained collaboration.
The announcement nevertheless represents another important step in the evolving relationship between France and Saudi Arabia. Together with the extension of the AlUla partnership and the development of Villa Hegra, it suggests that culture is becoming one of the most durable and strategically important foundations of the relationship between the two countries.
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IMAGE TOP OF PAGE – Illustration generated by artificial intelligence. This conceptual image does not represent the future centre’s official architectural design.
