Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud
His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud | |
|---|---|
| File:Prince Badr Image.jpg First and Current Minister of Culture, Saudi Arabia | |
| Born | 16 September 1985 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud is the first and current Minister of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is in charge of various key positions directly related to the execution of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
History and Achievements
Prince Badr was born on September 16th, 1985, and holds a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also has a strategic certificate from Meric training & Consulting in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to serving as the Minister of Culture, he was the Chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, one of the leading integrated publishing groups in the MENA region with outstanding positions in the aspects of publishing, media advertising, distribution and printing.[1]
On September 20, 2017, as the Chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, he signed an agreement with Bloomberg L.P. to launch Bloomberg Arabia, a new multi-platform for business and financial news in the Arabic language.[2] Furthermore, His Highness Prince Badr is an entrepreneur with activities that range from investments in key sectors such as real estate and telecommunications to environmental recycling solutions and development of Energy IPP power projects in South East Asia and the USA.[3]
He is one of the founders of the largest recycling and waste management companies in Saudi Arabia. He has also been active in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and across the Middle East including partnerships with major corporations.[3]
Current Posts
Prince Badr became Saudi's first ever Minister of Culture on June 2nd 2018, when a royal decree was released carving out the Ministry of Culture and Information into a new independent Ministry of Culture, adding to His Highness' portfolio of key posts in the Kingdom.
Among his current other responsibilities, Prince Badr is the Governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, which was established in July 2017 to protect and reinvigorate Al-Ula. Al-Ula is a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in northwest of Saudi Arabia, and as outlined in the Kingdom's Vision 2030, Al-Ula is envisioned to become a tourism and leisure destination in Saudi Arabia. Prince Badr is also the Chairman of the Misk Art Institute, a new cultural organization operating under the auspices of the Misk Foundation to encourage grassroots artistic production and enable international cultural diplomacy and exchange. Moreover, His Highness is also the Chairman of the Diplomatic Authority, which is responsible for the management and development of the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, a unique zone that is home to many foreign embassies and cultural missions in the Kingdom. In addition, Prince Bader is a board member of the General Culture Authority.
Salvator Mundi
Prince Badr's name became more widely known when it was reported that he was the secret buyer who paid a world record $450.3 million for Leonardo da Vinci's painting Salvator Mundi on 15 November 2017.[3] In December 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that Prince Badr was in fact an intermediary for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the true buyer.[4][5] The purchase reportedly came at an awkward time for the crown prince because he was leading a sweeping crackdown on corruption and self-enrichment by the Saudi elite.[3]
It was announced on Friday 7 December 2017 that the painting would be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, after being acquired by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism in the United Arab Emirates, on whose behalf Prince Badr had acted.[6][7]
References
- ^ GDN Online Desk (December 6, 2017). "MBC Group appoints new chairman". GDN Online. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "Saudi media group SRMG inks deal to launch 'Bloomberg Al Arabiya' network". Arab News. September 20, 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d David D. Kirkpatrick (December 6, 2017). "Mystery Buyer of $450 Million 'Salvator Mundi' Was a Saudi Prince". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Harris, Shane; Crow, Kelly; Said, Summer (7 December 2017). "Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Identified as Buyer of Record-Breaking da Vinci". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ David D. Kirkpatrick; Eric Schmitt (December 8, 2017). "Saudi Arabia Disputes That Crown Prince Bought 'Salvator Mundi'". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Kareem Shaheen; agencies (December 7, 2017). "Leonardo's Salvator Mundi: Abu Dhabi bought world's most expensive painting". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Yara Bayoumy (8 December 2017). "Abu Dhabi to acquire Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi': Christie's". Retrieved 9 December 2017 – via Reuters.