Baya
‘Musique’
The Institut du Monde Arabe’s latest exhibition is a group show bringing together three generations of Algerian artists whose work covers the years from 1918 to the present day. One of the most famous artists on show is Baya — whose surrealist, ‘naïve’ work was lauded by, among others, Picasso. This vibrant painting is typical of her art, which often focused on women and their clothing.
Abdelkader Guermaz
‘Composition’
The exhibition is intended, the IMA says, “to testify to the fraternity and solidarity which bound Algerian and French artists and intellectuals” during Algeria’s struggle for independence until today. Guermaz was a major figure in his country’s modern art movement and although his popularity faded in the 1980s and 1990s, there is now a resurgence of interest in this skilled artist.
Halida Boughriet
‘Memory in Oblivion’
This image is a fine example of the young French-Algerian artist’s creations. “I often prompt the audience to question the frailties, doubts and fears we all live through,” Boughriet has said of her work. “Art no longer serves a spiritual function, but a critical function. I mostly work in that frame - social critique.”
