French Ministry of Culture honours Fady Jameel with Chevalier award
- Last updated: January 22, 2026 | 10:44 ..
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Fady Jameel, Chair of Art Jameel and Vice Chairman, International, Abdul Latif Jameel, has been awarded the distinction of Chevalier, in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters), by the French Ministry of Culture – France’s prestigious honours system, which acknowledges those enabling and making significant global cultural impact. The ceremony took place in Paris last week, led by Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture of France, in the presence of cultural leaders from across the worlds of arts and cinema. The award is also an acknowledgement of the Jameel family’s pioneering worldwide support for the arts.
The recognition of support for the arts – including establishing Art Jameel, Hayy Jameel and the Jameel Arts Centre – also marks 80 years of the Jameel family’s pioneering commitment to philanthropy, including more than 20 years of focused support for the arts led by Fady Jameel, with major initiatives in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and beyond, and the strengthening of ties between the Middle East and France. The title of Chevalier is bestowed to acknowledge those whose work has contributed significantly to the enrichment of culture and the arts in France and globally.
More than 90 individuals work full-time at Art Jameel across its centres, while its in-person exhibitions and learning programmes impact directly close to two million people each year. Fady Jameel said that “it is a tremendous source of pride to be recognised in the French Order of Arts and Letters: this recognition would not be possible without the invaluable support of my family; it celebrates our decades-long dedication to building on the history of philanthropy established by my grandfather in Jeddah, 80 years ago. I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture of France and our colleagues at the French Embassy and Consulate in Saudi Arabia, and wish to express my appreciation to colleagues and partners, in both the private and government sectors, for their continued support and encouragement of the cultural sector.”
He added that from Islamic art, craft and artisanship through to the most contemporary and innovative of practices, “at Art Jameel we really believe in the role of the arts in transforming lives – a value we place at the heart of what we do daily. Looking ahead, Art Jameel remains committed to strengthening a robust art ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and beyond, through piloting new initiatives that support students, creatives and wider public engagement with the arts, alongside nurturing international exchange.”
Mohammed Nehad, Consul General of France in Jeddah, said that “the award is a recognition of the Jameel family's tireless work and the fruitful collaboration they have undertaken over the years. A country of arts and culture, France has always praised and recognised the work of passionate individuals committed to cultural and artistic promotion. Art Jameel and France collaborate on numerous cultural projects, from commissioning artists and lending works, to screening French films and implementing a film education programme, down to supporting film production. We will continue to work closely with the Jameel family and are very excited about the recent prospects for expanding our joint activities.”
Art Jameel, established in 2003 by the Jameel family and chaired by Fady Jameel, is a leading arts organisation in the Middle East. It was founded on the premise that the arts are fundamental to life and should be accessible for all. The arts major is primarily privately funded by the Jameel family and fulfills a wholly civic purpose, as it works alongside and in liaison with government, to unlock for all the opportunities for learning, exchange and development embedded in the arts. Art Jameel supports the two major, independent, free-entrance public institutions of the Gulf: Hayy Jameel, Jeddah’s home for cinema and the arts, and Jameel Arts Centre, located in Dubai, as a hub for contemporary art and ideas. The Centre was recently awarded a medal of excellence at the Art Basel Awards for its vision and impact.
Alongside the two creative complexes, Art Jameel also nurtures a global network of collaborative projects designed to support and impact the broader Middle East region and beyond. The organisation’s long-term strategic partners include the V&A, home to the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art and the Jameel Prize, and the Met, where the Jameel Programme positions artists from the Middle East in one of the world’s most-visited encyclopedic museums. Nurturing exchange between France and the Arab world is further a strong thread within Art Jameel’s programming. Alliance Française is based at Hayy Jameel, while Hayy Cinema, Saudi’s first independent picture house, regularly showcases French cineastes, with musicians invited to collaborate with Saudi creatives and present concerts in the complex.
An example of the collaborative exchange includes the ongoing joint project between the Cinémathèque of Toulouse and Art Jameel, to restore and screen a tranche of rare Palestinian films from the 1960s-80s. The range of exhibitions and commissions at the Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, regularly feature French artists and those from Arab diasporas - an essential part of French society and culture. Collaborative projects and exchanges with French institutions include co-commissioning Sara Sadik with the Biennale de Lyon, and loaning major installations from the Art Jameel Collection to museums such as the Palais de Tokyo and Institut du monde arabe. The work of Hayy Jameel in Jeddah and Jameel Arts Centre are complemented by digital initiatives, collaborations with major institutional partners, and a network of practitioners worldwide.