The Royal Society of Fine Arts is a private and non-profit organization, founded in Amman in 1979. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity, disseminate artistic knowledge and promote contemporary art from Jordan and the Arab and developing worlds. The Royal Society founded the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts In 1980, the first of its kind in the area that has a unique collection of artworks by contemporary artists from Jordan, the Arab and the Developing Worlds. The National Gallery is one of the major art museums in the Middle East. Its collection comprises over 3000 works including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, video art, installation, graphic arts and photography by artists mainly from, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Compound comprises three buildings flanking a sculpture park with a children’s playground, open-air stage, Japanese garden, Andalusian fountain and a restaurant. The park is a model garden for water conservation, and has won a Global Gold award in 2016 by the Green World Organization in “Sustainability” for environmental best practice.
Building (1) consists of four floors dedicated to the Permanent Collection in addition to some visiting and local exhibitions. The management and information offices are located on the ground floor.
Building (2) consists of four floors dedicated to the Permanent Collection, its last floor contains a specialized reference library of books and periodicals on art, design and architecture in different languages.As well as the Gallery gift shop (Mtjr) where visitors can buy books, postcards, photographs & reproductions from the Permanent Collection as well as selected traditional and modern handicrafts by Jordanian Artists. The visitor can end the tour by visiting “Jungle Fever” café, it has a terrace that overlooks the garden of the National Gallery, views of Jabal al-Weibdeh and the surrounding areas. The Cafe offers a free internet service and it opens its doors from 9:30am till 11:00pm.
Building (3) Consists of two floors and a backyard, the upper floor is dedicated for artists who are accommodated for residency. The Gallery gives them the opportunity to continue working on their projects and research. The ground floor has a Graphic Studio in accordance with international standards equipped with a state of the art printing press, to be used by professional artists as well as art students. Local and visiting artists conduct classes in printmaking on regular basis. Building (3) also has specialized rooms for workshops.
Since its establishment, the National Gallery has organized many local and international exhibitions on its own as well as in cooperation with numerous international museums. Moreover, it has participated in art exhibitions in Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa, Australia and Canada. It has also participated in local, regional and international seminars, conferences and symposia pertaining to art and culture.
In cooperation with the Directorate of Programs in the Ministry of Education, the National Gallery organizes school and university visits, where students get acquainted with the Permanent Collection of the museum in addition to the exhibitions it holds periodically.
The Touring Museum project, launched in 2009 consists of a van that has been transformed into a mobile art gallery. It aims to increase cultural awareness in the fields of plastic and visual arts by conducting weekly visits to different cities and villages in Jordan, targeting schools, youth and cultural and social development centers. Each visit includes a presentation of works from the Permanent Collection in addition to workshops in drawing and painting.