{"id":32470,"date":"2024-04-01T19:50:34","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T17:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=32470"},"modified":"2024-04-02T11:40:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T09:40:17","slug":"when-fatma-haddad-became-baya-a-paris-art-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/when-fatma-haddad-became-baya-a-paris-art-story\/","title":{"rendered":"When Fatma Haddad Became “Baya”\u2014a Paris Art Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
Baya was among the first Algerian artists to be recognized by the art world in Paris. Though considered na\u00efve in style, her work endures.<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

Naima Morelli<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

When thinking of North African artists working in Paris in the 20th-century, the name of Baya was the first that came to my mind.<\/p>\n

Born Fatma Haddad (1931-1998) on the poor outskirts of Algiers, her fate changed dramatically when Marguerite Camina Benhoura, a French intellectual residing in Algeria, took her under her wing.\u00a0Baya\u2019s artistic genius was immediately recognized by the avant-garde of Paris, which was looking for a kind of art that was primitive, joyous, and free.<\/p>\n

Baya\u2019s canvas and paintings on cardboard are inhabited by women in traditional clothing, walking in lush landscapes and gardens, often surrounded by animals. Her fierce creatures reflected the artist\u2019s own independent spirit.<\/p>\n