Trained in both Paris and Istanbul, Fahrelnissa Zeid was an important figure in the Turkish avant-garde d Group in the early 1940s and the École de Paris (School of Paris) in the 1950s. Her vibrant abstract paintings are a synthesis of Islamic, Byzantine, Arab and Persian influences fused with European approaches to abstraction. Many of her abstract works are monumental and demand attention.
Zeid’s reputation as an artist was cemented in the 1950s when she was living between London and Paris and exhibiting extensively internationally. The artist also began experimenting with painting on turkey and chicken bones, which she later cast in polyester resin panels evocative of stained-glass windows. In the later years of her life she unexpectedly returned to figurative painting, creating stylised portraits of her friends and family.
Indulge in Zeid’s obsession with line and dazzling colour in this exhibition. Rediscover one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century in this first major retrospective.
Fahrelnissa Zeid Fight Against Abstraction (Dispute contre l’Abstraction) 1947 Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Collection, Eczacıbaşı Group Donation (Istanbul, Turkey) © Raad bin Zeid © Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Fahrelnissa Zeid Break of the Atom and Vegetal Life (Rupture de l’atome et vie végétale) 1962 Z. Yildirim Family Collection © Raad bin Zeid
Fahrelnissa Zeid Self Portrait 1944 Sema and Barbaros Çağa Collection © Raad bin Zeid
Fahrelnissa Zeid Untitled c 1950s Tate © Raad bin Zeid
Fahrelnissa Zeid Third class Passengers 1943 Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Collection, Eczacıbaşı Group Donation (Istanbul, Turkey) © Raad bin Zeid © Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Fahrelnissa Zeid Untitled (Brighton 9 June 1949) 1950 Sevtap and Tolga Kabataş Collection © Raad bin Zeid
