Jeddah’s public sculptures turn city into open-air art museum

Artworks and decorative sculptures are spread throughout Jeddah’s squares, streets, and waterfront, creating a distinctive visual scene over decades. The city’s streets and public spaces have become open-air galleries, with many of these works now woven into the city’s memory, recalled by residents and visitors alike in their photos and stories.

Jeddah does not require enclosed galleries to showcase art to its visitors. The sculptures scattered across its urban landscape serve a purpose beyond beautification—they have become visual landmarks that help people navigate, give character to streets and squares, and connect daily life with contemporary art.

Jeddah is known for its early embrace of public art, where sculptures were never just decorative elements but, over time, became integral to the city’s visual identity, benefiting from the diversity of their themes, forms, and locations.

Among the most iconic works is the “Sword” sculpture on Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Street, designed by Belgian artist Hubert Minnebo in 1982. Standing 15 meters tall and weighing about 3.5 tons, the copper and steel structure remains, more than four decades later, a testament to international art’s presence in Jeddah’s urban space.

Along the Corniche, the artworks take on a different character, with the sea—one of Jeddah’s defining features—serving as a natural backdrop for sculptures that interact with light, space, and movement. Visual enhancement projects have further strengthened the presence of art in public spaces, making these works part of the city’s everyday experience.

This artistic presence is not new. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has documented hundreds of sculptures across Jeddah, including works by renowned international artists and others inspired by themes of life, the sea, space, and national symbols. Over time, these have become essential elements of the city’s visual landscape.

Some sculptures tell stories that go beyond aesthetics to convey messages or ideas. A notable example is the “Mad Speed” sculpture by Spanish artist Julio Lafuente, created in the 1980s, which used symbolic artistic language to warn against the dangers of speeding and reckless driving.

For 38 years, “Mad Speed” was a well-known visual landmark in Jeddah before it was removed from the northern Corniche to make way for the Jeddah Corniche Circuit project. Nevertheless, its image remains part of the city’s memory.

With Jeddah’s modern urban landscape, enhancing the city’s visual appeal is no longer limited to sculptures. It now includes murals, visual arts, and the design of public spaces, reflecting an approach that integrates art with architecture and urban planning, making artworks accessible in everyday environments.

This experience is especially significant in a city with Jeddah’s historical and cultural depth. Street art does not stand apart from its surroundings but exists alongside historic architecture, markets, modern buildings, and the Corniche, creating a visual blend that reflects the city’s transformation from a historic port to a vibrant urban, tourist, and cultural center.

As Jeddah rapidly develops, its older sculptures resemble open pages from the city’s history. Some remain in their original locations, while others have been moved or disappeared due to urban development, but their images endure in residents’ memories.

This experience demonstrates that the value of public art is measured not only by its size or age, but by its ability to forge a connection between people and place, turning everyday details in streets and squares into elements tied to memory and identity.

Ongoing visual enhancement projects add new layers to this legacy, integrating art into roads, walkways, squares, and public spaces to improve quality of life, bring art closer to the community, enhance the city’s visual scene, and elevate Jeddah’s urban character by strengthening the integration of art, architecture, and public space.