(entdossierthemarub)18658:titre
(entdossierthemarub)18658:texte(entdossierthemarub)18659:titre
(entdossierthemarub)18659:texteThe pioneer Safeya Binzagr
Born in 1940 in Jeddah, Safeya Binzagr is to this day the only Saudi artist to have her own museum, the Safeya Binzagr House in Jeddah. Her international recognition has earned her the title of founder of the Saudi fine arts movement.
At a very young age, Safeya Binzagr had the opportunity to travel and become familiar with Western culture. This fueled her desire to document Saudi culture and convey the soul of a people.
In 1968, Binzagr had the courage to organize an exhibition in a country with no art galleries. On this occasion, she showed Mounirah Mosly's work along with her own. The event was a great success, and was even acclaimed by Prince Faysal bin Fahd Al Saud. Her scenes of everyday life are particularly appreciated.
Art in the open air
Jeddah's masterful sculpture park illustrates former mayor Mohamed Said Farsi's passion for urban planning. Between 1972 and 1986, during his term of office, Farsi assembled a collection of 400 works that would make the greatest museums green with envy. Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Victor Vasarely, Joan Miró, Jean Arp embellish from now on the sublime Corniche of Jeddah, and various districts of the city. In the Obhur district, Julio Lafuente's astonishing wall of embedded cars is entitled Accident! (Crazy Speed). In Ruwais, Mustafa Senbel's Fisherman's net curls towards the sky.
Even more breathtaking, a cultural space has been established in the desert, in AlUla. Designed by an Italian agency, the Maraya cube (mirror in Arabic) reflects the expanse of sand. Both a work of art and a performance space, the cube with a removable glass window reflects the ancestral incisions engraved in the rocks.
Graffiti has found its spot at Diriyah Warehouses in Riyadh. A stroll through frescoes full of local cultural references, between warehouses and nice cafes. Renowned street-artist Noura Bin from Saudi Arabia uses her colorful palette to immortalize the many aspects of her country. Her mural painted on the façade of the Ministry of Culture in Oud Square is largely inspired by Arabic calligraphy.
