Smithsonian Teams Up with Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Project Amid Growing Cultural Ambitions

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 pa