Modern Bahraini art emerged in the 1950s with establishment of the Arts and Literature Club, a cultural organization that served as a home artists to gather, share their work, and discuss the development a uniquely Bahrain art movement. Significant artists soon emerged whose legacies have influenced not only the Middle East but made important contributions to the art communities globally.

Today the breadth of Bahraini modern art can be seen in the Sea of Life: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Kingdom of Bahrain. Ambassador Abdulla R Al Khalifa sat down with Lyne Sneige, a co-curator of the exhibit at the Middle East Institute. Their fascinating conversation ranged over the evolution of Bahraini art and discussed the contributions of founding artists of the modern Bahraini art to new emerging forces of modern art, such as Mariam Alnoami, Ghada Khunji, and Mashael Alsaie. 

See the exhibit: https://mei.edu/exhibition/sea-of-life