PUBLICATION
"Les artistes du Maghreb et du Moyen-Orient, l’art abstrait et Paris"
Manazir Journal vol. 6 (2024)
edited by Claudia Polledri and Perin Emel Yavuz
We are pleased to announce the publication of Manazir Journal volume 6 (2024), titled "Les artistes du Maghreb et du Moyen-Orient, l'art abstrait et Paris," edited by Claudia Polledri and Perin Emel Yavuz.
This volume explores how Paris continued to be a vital artistic center for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) artists after World War II. It examines how the abstract art movements flourishing in post-war Paris, particularly around the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles (founded in 1946), resonated with traditional artistic practices familiar to these artists.
While conventional art history narratives often overlook these MENA artists' contributions to abstract art—instead focusing on East Asian influences when discussing figures like Georges Mathieu or Hans Hartung—this issue brings their essential role to light. Through new research and revisited sources, our contributors trace the presence and impact of artists from the Maghreb and Middle East, many of whom were trained in calligraphy and brought these traditions into dialogue with European abstraction.
The issue features articles on notable artists including Saliba Douaihy, Shafic Abboud, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jamil Hamoudi, and Nejad Melih Devrim, alongside interviews and perspectives that enrich our understanding of these artistic networks and their legacy.
This volume represents an important contribution to the global history of abstract art, highlighting cross-cultural exchanges and challenging conventional Western-centric narratives.