Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud (Arabic: بدر بن عبد الله بن محمد بن فرحان آل سعودBadr bin ʿAbdullāh bin Moḥammed bin Farḥān Āl Suʿūd; born 16 September 1985) is a Saudi Arabian businessman and politician who is a member of the Saudi royal family and the inaugural Saudi Arabian Minister of Culture. He is in charge of various key positions directly related to the execution of Saudi Vision 2030. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Culture, he was the chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group. He was also appointed Governor of the Royal Commission for Al-'Ula Governorate in July 2017.[1]
Early life and education
Prince Bader was born on 16 September 1985.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University.[3] Bader began his career as a business executive and investor in the fields of energy, real estate and telecoms.[4]
Government positions
From December 2015 to June 2018,[5] Prince Bader was chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), a large media publishing company with close ties to the Mohammed bin Salman government in Saudi Arabia.[6][7][8][9] In September 2017, the company made a deal with Bloomberg to launch its first Arabic-language news service, Bloomberg Al Arabiya; followed by the acquisition of a 51% stake in the Saudi online financial news service Argaam.[10][11]
In 2017, Bader was identified by US intelligence as having purchased, on behalf of Mohammed bin Salman, Salvator Mundi, a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. Bader acted as an intermediary. At the price of $450m, it was the most expensive painting ever sold.[12]
In June 2017, Prince Bader was appointed as governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, a newly established body to develop the 2,000 year-old historical site of Al-Ula, in Madinah province, into a cultural attraction.[13] In April 2018 he signed an agreement with the French minister of Europe and foreign affairsJean-Yves Le Drian to involve French expertise in the restoration of Al-Ula over a ten-year period.[14][15]
Purchase of the most expensive painting recorded in history
On November 15, 2017, the Salvator Mundi, attributed in whole or in part to Leonardo da Vinci, was purchased at auction during Christie's New York's Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale for $450 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting up until this date. The New York Times disclosed Prince Badr's successful bid on December 6, 2017, sparking speculation that the acquisition might have been executed on behalf of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.[16] The Wall Street Journal reported that same date, citing US intelligence assessments having named Badr as the proxy buyer for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.[17] One day later Christie's published a statement confirming that the country's Department of Culture and Tourism had acquired the painting for display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.[18]
On 2 June 2018, Prince Bader was appointed as Saudi Arabia's first minister of culture and stepped down as chairman of SRMG.[20][21] The ministry's mandate is to advance the cultural programs within Saudi Vision 2030.[3] He said the ministry would seek to enhance Saudi identity and would support the efforts of young people in creative fields.[22]
In November 2019, he was appointed as Chairman of the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science.[23] He chairs the Board of Directors for Taif Development Authority.[24] He is on the boards of the Misk Art Institute,[25] Arabian Leopard Fund,[26] Panthera,[27] and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH),[28] as well as various Saudi cultural institutions.[29]
