The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) has signed a partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla, expanding a quiet but strategic collaboration that’s been underway behind the scenes for two years.
According to the Art Newspaper, the deal, signed this week by NMAA director Chase Robinson and RCU chief executive Abeer Al Akel, outlines joint efforts in archaeological research, exhibition loans, and curatorial exchange.
At the heart of the partnership is Dadan—once the capital of the Lihyanite and Dadanite civilizations, and a critical stop on the Incense Road, an ancient trade network that stretched from India to the Mediterranean. The Saudi government has prioritized Dadan’s preservation as part of its push to rebrand the kingdom as a global cultural destination.
“Our curatorial and conservation teams have already been working with AlUla on research around recently unearthed statues,” Robinson said in a statement. “This next stage will allow us to deepen that work and build long-term professional networks.”
The agreement spans three categories: joint conservation and research in archaeology, art, and history; exhibition planning and artifact loans; and professional development in areas like curatorial research and museum management.
The deal is the latest in a string of cultural partnerships Saudi Arabia has formed with institutions around the world—including the Centre Pompidou, the Andy Warhol Museum, Unesco, and the Desert X biennial—as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan. While these efforts have helped position AlUla as a rising cultural hotspot, they have also attracted criticism as a form of “artwashing,” as a way to deflect attention from the country’s record on human rights, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Smithsonian-AlUla deal comes just days after the Trump administration announced a commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest $600 billion in the United States, including a massive arms deal: $142 million that will provide Saudi Arabia with “state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms.”
