The Jeddah Beautification Project, also known as the Jeddah Tajmil, refers to a public art initiative launched in the 1970s to transform the streetscapes of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is famous for leading to the installation of dozens of large-scale, open-air public sculptures created by international artists. These sculptures were predominantly installed in the Jeddah Corniche. Over the decades, these sculptures faced deterioration from the harsh arid climate.
History
The Jeddah Beautification Project commenced in September 1974 by the mayor, Mohamed Said Farsi and Spanish architect, who led the initiative. They envisioned "an arena of public art" across Jeddah, leading to the commissioning of a large-scale public art project. Farsi began with working with Lebanese artists Aref El Rayess and Shafiq Mazloum, and Egyptians Mustafa Senbel and Salah Abdulkarim. Eventually, famous sculptors around the world, including Joan Miró, César Baldaccini, Alexander Calder, Victor Vasarely, and Jean Arp, were commissioned to develop over 400 artworks. Lafuente's own designs were modelled after baroque Rome architecture, where monuments provided a vivid, recognisable guide around unnamed roads for both tourists and locals. Farsi would also encourage private businessmen to donate their own sculptures, monuments, and fountains. All sculptures evolved around traditional Saudi culture, the industrial past of Jeddah, and the scientific achievements of the Muslim world.
The installation of the first sculpture began in November 1974 by South Korean engineering firm, Samhwan Construction Inc. The mayor requested that the project be completed by 20 December when the annual hajj was set to begin, and the company responded by extending works into the night. Numerous torch lights were used, and King Faisal had happened to come across the procession. Moved by the dedication, he later ordered that more projects be undertaken by Samhwan. On a broader scale, the Jeddah Beautification Project also led wide-spread landscaping projects funded at $45 million. This prompted the creation of greener streetscapes and planted urban environments, including the introduction of plants acclimated to arid conditions. Over six million trees were planted, creating about 6 square kilometres of green shade cover from a city that almost had no trees. Furthermore, up to 300 public gardens, 50 landscaped playgrounds, 60 public fountains, and 3,000 municipal flower boxes were earmarked for installation.
By the late 1970s, the Jeddah Beautification Project would influence other Gulf cities to develop their own elements of urban centers containing modern art. The Jeddah Beautification Project continued in the 1980s, with 95,179,768 riyals awarded by the Jeddah Mayoralty in 1984.
Present By the early 2000s, the sculptures began to deteriorate due to the salt-laden winds from the Red Sea. Subsequently, in 2011, independent art organization Art Jameel and the Jeddah Municipality collaborated on a restoration project to preserve the sculptures. Additionally, 20 were relocated for exhibition in the open-air Jeddah Sculpture Museum. The museum was opened in September 2013.
Works The following is an incomplete list of sculptures completed under the initiative. Over the years, many sculptures have since been dismantled or relocated.