SAFEYA BINZAGR (B. 1940), AFTER ZABOUN

signed Safeya Binzagr in Arabic and English, and titled, dated and numbered Zaboun, 8.2.2012, No. 30 in English (to the reverse)

digital print in colours with hand colouring, after the original painting

66 by 50 cm. 26 by 19 ¾ in.

The original painting executed in 1969; this work executed in 2015 and is number 30 from an unknown edition with the Artist's markings.  

Safeya Binzagr was born in Jeddah, the heart of the old city, in 1940, and is widely considered one of the pioneers of Saudi’s (female) fine arts movement, along with Mounirah Mosly. Moving first to Cairo with her family at the age of seven, Binzagr then travelled to England to attend boarding school and college in London at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art. Upon returning to her native country, the artist quickly became absorbed and fascinated by its rich cultural history and the multiple traditions she found in her travels throughout each region and within her own historic research. Her meticulous eye for detail and keen interest in history features throughout her oeuvre. In 1968, Binzagr organised alongside fellow artist and friend Mosly one of the first exhibitions of modern art to be held in Jeddah at the Dar al-Tarbiya girls’ high school. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from this groundbreaking initiative encouraged the artist to organise more exhibitions throughout the Kingdom as well as abroad.