Safeya Binzagr
Safeya Binzagr (Arabic: صفية بن زقر; 1940 – 12 September 2024) was a Saudi Arabian artist, active in the art scene of Jeddah.[1] She opened a museum and gallery, the Darat Safeya Binzagr, in 2000.[2] She was the only artist in her country to have their own museum.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Binzagr was born in 1940 to a "well-known merchant family" in Jeddah.[4] She was privately taught art in Egypt and went on to earn a degree from St Martin's School of Art in 1965.[2]
Career
[edit]Binzagr's first exhibition took place in 1968.[5] In 1970, she was the first woman to hold a solo exhibition of her work in Saudi Arabia.[6] Despite her art being presented, Binzagr was not allowed to attend the openings of her own exhibitions until Aramco held a private exhibition of her work in 1976.[7] She was instead represented by male members of her family.[7] In 1973, she chose to stop selling her art.[8] In 1979, Binzagr published a book about Saudi Arabian art called Saudi Arabia, An Artist's View of the Past.[4] The book has been translated into English and French.[9]
Her work uses various mediums, ranging from oil paint, watercolor, pastel, drawing and etchings,[4] and often centers around daily life in Saudi Arabia.[4] She has series of works based on themes such as marriage customs, local costumes and old homes in Saudi Arabia.[10] Binzagr paints cultural themes in order to preserve the cultural traditions of her country.[10] Some of her paintings are based on descriptions given to her by older women about their lives.[11] Binzagr meticulously researches her paintings, either by capturing through photographs images of buildings, craftwork and neighborhoods or by looking through historic documents and photography.[10] Much of the history she has recorded belongs to the Hejaz cultural tradition.[9]
In 1989, she started to imagine a place where she could permanently display and curate her work.[12] The museum took about nine years of planning and construction and was opened in 2000.[10] Binzagr's work can be seen at her museum, the Darat Safeya Binzagr, where admission is free.[13] The museum serves as her home, her studio, and as a gallery of her work.[14] Binzagr hosted public events at her museum to promote art in Saudi Arabia.[9]
Death
[edit]Binzagr died on 12 September 2024, at the age of 84.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Fareed, Saleh (12 January 2016). "South African Artist Leaves His Mark on the Streets of Balad". Saudi Gazette. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Safeya Binzagr (Biographical details)". The British Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Artist Student's Work Selected for 55th Venice Biennale". University of Sussex. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Safeya Binzagr". Greenbox Dictionary of Saudi Arabian Artists. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Naseem, Sumaiyya (20 October 2015). "13 Things You Should Know About Saudi Artist Safeya Binzagr". Destination Jeddah. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Elgibreen 2014, p. 7.
- ^ a b Elgibreen 2014, p. 21.
- ^ Elgibreen 2014, p. 38-39.
- ^ a b c Fatany, Samar (26 January 2013). "The Saudi Art Movement Deserves More Attention". Al Arabiya News. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Nawwab, Ni'Mah Isma'il (2001). "Painting Cultural History". Aramco World. 52 (1). Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Elgibreen 2014, p. 12.
- ^ "Darat Safeya BinZagr". Saudi Art Guide. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Elgibreen 2014, p. 8.
- ^ Maisel, Sebastian; Shoup, John A., eds. (2009). Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab States Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Arab States. Vol. 1. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 158. ISBN 9780313344466.
- ^ Founder of Saudi Arabia’s fine art movement Safeya Binzagr dies at 84
Sources
[edit]- Elgibreen, Eiman (2014). Image Making: Representations of Women in the Art and Career of Safeya Binzagr from 1968 to 2000 (PDF). University of Sussex.
External links
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