Najia MEHADJI (1950) - Lot 228

Najia MEHADJI (1950) Untitled Sanguine on paper. Signed and dated 19/II/04 Sight size: 75 x 56 cm Najia Mehadji was born in 1950 in Paris, France. A major artist on the contemporary scene in Morocco, Najia Mehadji has also been recognized in France since the 1980s, with several museum exhibitions, including three retrospectives in 2018(Musée d'art moderne de Céret),2019(Musée de Gajac), and 2025(Musée d'art contemporain du Val de Marne). From the outset, his dual French and Moroccan origins led him to create a synthesis between Western and Eastern cultures. Early on, her interest in avant-garde theater and the expression of the body led her to invent her own tools and a singular approach to painting. In 1970s France, her commitment to the recognition of women in contemporary art led her to join the Femmes/Art group and collaborate with the magazine Sorcières. Najia Mehadji's work can be divided into several major creative periods: after impression paintings (1980-1990), influenced by contemporary music and bodily expression, followed by large-format, monochrome paintings/drawings on linen canvas, with universal symbolic forms (1990-2010), since 2010 she has been developing works centred on gesture, inspired by oriental calligraphy and dance. In this way, she creates a unique script made up of continuous, dynamic lines, in a performance that is both physical and mental. At the same time, she has created works that speak out against the barbarity of war (particularly the plight of women) and the death penalty worldwide. Her works are part of many prestigious collections, including those of the Institut du monde arabe (France), the Fonds national d'art contemporain (France), the Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Georges Pompidou (France), the Musée d'art moderne de Céret (France), the National Museum of Fine Arts of Jordan (Jordan), the Musée d'art contemporain africain Al Maaden (Morocco) and the Musée Mohammed VI d'art moderne et contemporain (Morocco). Najia Mehadji lives and works between Paris and Lamssasa, near Essaouira.