Sharjah Art Museum Launches Exhibition Dedicated To Baya Mahieddine

Algerian modernist and former Bazaar Art cover star Baya Mahieddine’s bold artwork is now on display in Sharjah….

Over the years, Sharjah has increasingly become a melting pot of culture in the UAE. Institutions such as the Sharjah Art Museum have been luring residents and tourists alike to explore this buzzing emirate. The museum prides itself on its ability to enhance an appreciation of culture and learning through their exhibitions, and have in turn nurtured a community of art lovers in the region.

It comes as no surprise that the museum has been chosen to display the art works of late Algerian female artist Baya Mahieddine as part of their Lasting Impressions series. Over 70 of her paintings, spanning a career of six decades, including rare works from her 1947 Parisian exhibition are currently on display.

The retrospective pays tribute to one of Algeria’s most acclaimed artists while exploring her influence on Modernism. The use of colour and contour in Baya’s pieces make them burst with vibrancy and whimsy. Her expressive style depicts female characters adorned in ornamented dress, singing and dancing freely while being serenaded by musical instruments.

Flowers, birds, and fish are prevalent throughout the leafy scenes. Inspired by her childhood memories, steeped in rich Algerian culture, Baya was praised not only in her North African home, but also across Europe. An extraordinary path which saw her losing her parents and gaining a friend in Picasso started with childhood influences such as her adoptive mother, Marguerite Caminet Benhoura, encouraging her artistic inclinations.

In 1945 a French art dealer discovered Baya’s talent, leading to her first exhibition at Galerie Maeght, Paris, in 1947, when she was only sixteen. A ceramics residency in Vallauris, in the south of France led to a friendship with Picasso. On display in the exhibition is a painted ceramic figurine of a woman, on loan from Lebanon’s Dalloul Art Foundation, which was probably created during Baya’s French residency.

Many will be keen to see the female form through Baya’s eyes, as a woman painting women at a time when most of the world was viewed through the lens of colonial men. Despite her global experiences, her art remained authentic to her roots.

Outside of her home country, this is the first museum exhibition of Baya’s work in the Middle East. Manal Ataya, Director-General of Sharjah Art Museum expressed her delight at being able to include Baya in their Lasting Impressions series, “We aim to exhibit works by prominent established artists and explore their artistic experiences throughout their years of practice in celebration of their contributions to art history and to the development of Arab art.”

The Lasting Impressions exhibition is running until 31st July 2021 at the Sharjah Art Museum.

For more information please visit www.sharjahartmuseum.ae