Manama, Oct. 3 (BNA): The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) is honouring the late Bahraini artist Rashid Al Oraifi through “Rashid Al Oraifi Museum: Artistic Legacy”, taking place at his museum in Muharraq from 8 to 11 October 2025, between 4 PM and 8 PM. This initiative forms part of the Authority’s ongoing efforts to safeguard and promote the Kingdom’s artistic and cultural movement, while highlighting milestones that have become an integral part of Bahrain’s collective memory.

The open-house experience offers visitors a chance to reflect on Al Oraifi’s artistic journey, with his paintings, sculptures, and works displayed throughout the museum. Inspired by the Dilmun civilisation, his creations evoke its symbols and forms, uniting heritage and contemporary innovation in a distinctive aesthetic vision.

Rather than a final farewell, this event signals a new chapter. A selection of Al Oraifi’s works, generously donated by his family in honour of his artistic legacy, will be preserved and exhibited at the Bahrain National Museum. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, documents, furniture, and personal belongings, testimonies to the depth and diversity of his contribution to Bahrain’s cultural landscape.

The Authority expressed its sincere appreciation for the initiative and trust of the late artist’s family, affirming that this rare collection represents a valuable addition to the Bahrain National Museum and a pivotal step in safeguarding and documenting Bahrain’s artistic heritage for future generations.

Since the earliest days of his career, Al Oraifi played a pioneering role in shaping Bahrain’s modern art movement. He joined the Family of Art Amateurs in 1963 and held his first solo exhibition in 1967 at Al Oruba Club, later helping to establish the Bahrain Contemporary Art Association. He became renowned for his distinctive Dilmunian style, which drew on expressive symbols, seals, stones, and ceramics, transforming paintings and sculptures into vessels of civilisational memory.

Al Oraifi’s contributions extended beyond visual art. He authored several books documenting Bahrain’s material culture and folk heritage, including Bahraini Arts (1970), Bahraini Architecture, Traditional Games, The Bahraini Heritage Series, and Dilmunian Horizons.

Over more than five decades of dedication to art and culture, Al Oraifi received numerous prestigious honours, including the First Class Medal in 2007 from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain; the State Appreciation and Encouragement Award in 1989; the GCC Excellence Award in 1994; and the Medal of Arab Historians.

 M.I.