Author Description

Published on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition of the Moroccan painter Farid Belkahia (1934 -2014), this catalogue affirms the artist as one of the founders of Moroccan and, more broadly, Arab artistic modernity. Trained at the Beaux-Arts de Paris (1955-1959), then at the Prague Theatre Academy in scenography (1959-1962), Farid Belkahia is known for his works painted on leather with natural materials. Director of the Casablanca School of Fine Arts between 1962 and 1974, he played an essential role in Morocco in "the decolonisation of the imaginary" by offering an open education, emancipated from Western practices. From 1974 onwards, he devoted himself entirely to his art, using copper, skin, cut wood and natural dyes for his works, recreating universal graphic symbols, notably from Berber signs. He imposed the idea of a painting independent of the colonial heritage and established contemporary values that will influence generations of artists in Morocco and give it an international presence. -- Text from gallery website.