The Green Box Museum

The Green Box Museum

The first museum dedicated solely to Saudi art!

In the heart of Amsterdam lies the Green Box Museum. It is green because its owner wanted it to be more than just another “white cube” museum. The chosen name is also foremost in reference to Saudi Arabia. Here, we take a sneak peak into the museum as we interview the owner and curator Aarnout Helb, before the museum has even been opened to the public.

Oasis: How did the idea of the museum come to you?

I was downloading pictures of Makkah from sites on the internet for a virtual visit. While doing so I perceived this was in some way similar to what scholars did at the ancient museum of Alexandria. They copied text from scrolls they found aboard ships that visited the harbour. This idea of a virtual visit came from seeing an exhibition of postcards sent from Makkah by students of an Islamic school in Rotterdam. I was at the time making an exhibition of modern art and started wondering which work of art would be appreciated in Saudi Arabia. So I started to research what art in Saudi Arabia is about.

Oasis: Why Saudi art in particular?

Because Saudi Arabia has custody over cities that are also important for many people in the Netherlands. You should know I am from a racially and religiously diverse family with roots in Europe, Asia and Africa. My grandfather for example had Chinese looks and was a Dutch ambassador. He had an uncle who was a general and was of Dutch-Javanese heritage. Somewhere I keep a postcard on which he wrote his name and rank in Arabic calligraphy with “Allah ta’ala” in all four corners. I like to honor this diverse heritage and collecting your art is just a way of doing so with pleasure.

Oasis also asks many more questions, including: Can you define Saudi modern art? What is your favorite piece so far?

Read the whole interview in Oasis Magazine’s Spring 2009 issue (in stores April 2009).