Saudi artist Mohammed Alsaleem (b. 1939, d. 1997) was the first to hold an exhibition in the city of Riyadh, in 1967. He became famous for his “horizonism” style that was inspired by observing the skyline of Riyadh from the desert. In the 1970s, he designed many public sculptures of Riyadh, one of which was located in front of the old airport and destroyed by an Iraqi missile. Always committed to support younger artists, designers, and architects, in 1979 he founded Dar Al-Funoon Al-Sa’udiyyah, the first art house in Riyadh, a multipurpose creative space where artists could meet and exhibit their work, as well as find art supplies which were not readily available in the country at that time.