Safeya Binzagr

Safeya Binzagr (Arabic: صفية بن زقر; Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [sˤafijja bɪn zagɪr], 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

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

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

Binzagr died on 12 September 2024, at the age of 84.^[15]