Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud ( ''Badr bin ʿAbdullāh bin Moḥammed bin Farḥān Āl Suʿūd''; born 16 September 1985) is a Saudi Arabian

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

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 Saudi Vision 2030 (, sometimes called Project 2030) is a government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially, and culturally, in line with the vision of Saudi crown pri ...

. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Culture, he was the chairman of the

Saudi Research and Marketing Group Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), also known as the Saudi Media Group, is a Saudi state-backed media company registered in Riyadh. The group mainly publishes, prints and distributes various publications. The company operates in Saudi Arabia ...

. He was also appointed Governor of the Royal Commission for

Al-'Ula al-Ula (), officially AlUla, is an ancient Arabian oasis city and governorate located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, northwest of the city of Medina. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well ...

Governorate in July 2017.

Early life and education

Prince Bader was born on 16 September 1985. He received a bachelor's degree in law from

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulalziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in Saudi Arabia. It was known as Riyadh U ...

. Bader began his career as a business executive and investor in the fields of energy, real estate and telecoms.

Government positions

From December 2015 to June 2018, Prince Bader was chairman of the

(SRMG), a large media publishing company with close ties to the

Mohammed bin Salman Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (; born 31 August 1985), also known as MBS or MbS, is the ''de facto'' ruler of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, formally serving as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Sa ...

government in Saudi Arabia. In September 2017, the company made a deal with

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...

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.

Royal Commission for Al-Ula

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 al-Ula (), officially AlUla, is an ancient Arabian oasis city and governorate located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, northwest of the city of Medina. Situated in the Hejaz, a region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well ...

, in

Madinah province The Medina Province () is a province of Saudi Arabia in the Hejaz region along the Red Sea coast. It has an area of and a population of 2,389,452 (2022 Census) The provincial capital is Medina, the second-holiest city in Islam. Other cities i ...

, into a cultural attraction. In April 2018 he signed an agreement with the French minister of Europe and foreign affairs

Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Preside ...

to involve French expertise in the restoration of Al-Ula over a ten-year period.

Minister of Culture and other positions

In April 2018, Prince Bader was appointed to the board of the General Authority for Culture. On 2 June 2018, Prince Bader was appointed as Saudi Arabia's first minister of culture and stepped down as chairman of SRMG. The ministry's mandate is to advance the cultural programs within Saudi Vision 2030. He said the ministry would seek to enhance Saudi identity and would support the efforts of young people in creative fields. In November 2019, he was appointed as Chairman of the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science. He chairs the Board of Directors for

Taif Taif (, ) is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat Mountains, the city has a population of 563,282 people in 2022, mak ...

Development Authority. He is on the boards of the Misk Art Institute, Arabian Leopard Fund, Panthera, and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), as well as various Saudi cultural institutions.

Purchase of the most expensive painting recorded in history

On November 15, 2017, the ''

Salvator Mundi , Latin for Saviour of the World, is a subject in iconography depicting Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding an orb (frequently surmounted by a cross), known as a . The latter symbolizes the Earth, and the whol ...

'', attributed in whole or in part to

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, was purchased at auction during

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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. 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. 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 The Louvre Abu Dhabi (; ) is an art museum located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It runs under an agreement between the UAE and France, signed in March 2007, that allows it to use the Louvre's name until 2047, and has ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Badr Abdullah 1985 births Living people King Saud University alumni Badr Abdullah 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople Culture ministers of Saudi Arabia