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Artists
Artists Represented by The October Gallery
Anatsui, El
Burroughs, William S
Cohen, Ira
Foley, Fiona
Friedlander, Paul
Glover, Ablade
Gutsa, Tapfuma
Gysin, Brion
Hazoumé, Romuald
Jegede, E. Taiwo
Koraïchi, Rachid
Lalouschek, Elisabeth
Massoudy, Hassan
Lamothe, Frantz
Namok, Rosella
Rimondi, Francesco
Shawa, Laila
Sinzogan, Julien
Owusu-Ankomah

Wijdan

Williams, Aubrey
Xu, Zhongmin
Yoshida, Kenji
Zulu, Sandile

Wijdan
( Jordan )

Acacia by Wijdan
Acacia
Calligraphic Abstraction  by Wijdan
Calligraphic Abstraction
Calligraphic Abstraction Ba by Wijdan
Calligraphic Abstraction Ba
Citizen by Proxy by Wijdan
Citizen by Proxy


Desert Haze by Wijdan
Desert Haze
Nightcutter by Wijdan
Nightcutter
Rashm 1 by Wijdan
Rashm 1
Rashm 11 by Wijdan
Rashm 11


Seascape with a Little Bit of Sunshine and a Little Rain by Wijdan
Seascape with a Little Bit of Sunshine and a Little Rain
The Stones Must Stay Awake by Wijdan
The Stones Must Stay Awake
The Street by Wijdan
The Street
You and I are One by Wijdan
You and I are One


Wijdan

Wijdan is the artistic name of H.R.H. Princess Wijdan Ali of Jordan, a first cousin to the late King Hussein. Wijdan studied art with a series of teachers, including the Italian Armando Prön and Jordanian Muhana Durra between 1958 and 1963. In 1979, she founded the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Jordan and, the following year, the Jordan National Art Gallery. After completing her Ph.D. in the History of Islamic Art at SOAS, University of London, in 1993, she returned to her life as both artist and academician in Amman where besides publishing many works on Islamic Art she continues to curate and host exhibitions, international seminars and other forums for artistic exchange. Most recently, in 2001, Wijdan was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan.

Artist Statement

The calligraphic school of art in modern Arab painting is more than a style. For me it is a form of artistic identity through which I am able to gratify my creative instincts and establish my individuality as a contemporary Arab and Islamic artist. I believe that the modern calligraphic school is the contemporary continuation of traditional Islamic visual arts. It has evolved from the art of traditional Arabic calligraphy and developed into a present- day form of expression, drawing on classical heritage while employing modern media and techniques. It unites the legible value of letters and words with their optic and graphic abstract shapes, allowing me to ascertain my cultural persona as a contemporary Arab painter, within an international artistic framework. Meanwhile the use of various kinds of hand-made paper as an art medium has opened new horizons for me and taken my work to a new level of visual and sensual consciousness.

Wijdan

Education
1993  Ph.D. in Islamic Art, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, England.
1990  MA, Islamic Art, SOAS, University of London.
1961  BA, History, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
1958-63  Private training in painting with Armando Prön (Italian) and Muhanna Durra (Jordanian), Amman.

Solo Exhibitions
2003  "Honored Artist at the Sharjah Biennale" Sharjah, U. A. E.
2002  "Three Phases in Four Decades" Darat Al-Funun, Amman, Jordan
2001  "al-Riwaq Gallery" Manama, Bahrain
1994  "Riwaq al-Balqa'", Fuhais, Jordan.
  "Shawa & Wijdan", October Gallery, London.
  "Umaniyat", The Literary Club, Muscat, Oman.
1993  "Galligraphy in Watercolor"The Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1992  "Wijdan and Franco de Courten", Shoman Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1990  The Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1986  Petra Bank Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1981  Alia Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
  Fine Arts Council, Karachi, Pakistan.
1980  Jordan National Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1977  The Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1979  Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., USA.
1973  Thor Gallery, Louisville, USA.
1972  Gallerias Melia, Madrid, Spain.
  Jordan Intercontinental, Amman, Jordan.
1967  British Council, Amman, Jordan.
1965  Le Centre Culturel Français, Amman, Jordan.
  Woodstock Gallery, London, England.
1965  Galerie Wirth, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
1964  Le Centre Culturel Français, Amman, Jordan.
1963  American Cultural Centre, Amman, Jordan.

Artistic Awards
1995  Al-Hussein bin Talal Gold Medal for Artistic Achievement.
1987  Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - Ministere de la Culture en France.
1981  Medaille d'Or - Academie Internationale de Lutèce, Lille, France.
1981  Diplome d'Honneur - Institut Européen de Science Humaine dans la Discipline Academique Beaux Arts, Brussel, Belgium.

Selected Solo Shows
1965  Woodstock Gallery, London, UK
  Galerie Wirth, Berlin, West Germany
  Le Centre Culturel Francais. Amman,Jordan
1972  Gallerias Melia, Madrid Spain
1973  Thor Gallery Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1979  Middle East Institute, Washington D,C
1980  Jordan National Gallery. Amman,
1981  Fine A.rts Council Karachi Pakistan
1992  Wijdan and Franco de Courten, Shoman Gallery Amman. Jordan
1993  The Gallery, Amman, Jordan

Selected Mixed Shows
1961  Jordanian Artists' Exhibition, Amman Municipality, Amman, Jordan
1982  Jordanian Art Exhibition, Moscow
  Assila Art Exhibition, Assila, Morocco
  Four Artists from Jordan, The Wraxall Gallery, London, UK
  Arab Artists Exhibition, Centre D'Art Vivant de la Ville de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
1983-84  Jordanian Contemporary Art, Ankara State Museum, Ankara, Turkey (toured Istanbul, Turkey).
  Jordanian Contemporary Art, Zacenta Art Gallery, Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan, Poland
1986  Cairo Biennial, Cairo, Egypt
  Baghdad International Festival of Art, Saddam Centre for the Arts, Baghdad, Iraq.
  La Vie Royale: L 'Art Contemporaien Jordanie, Musee du Luxembourg, Paris, France
1989  Contemporary Art From the Islamic World, Barbican Centre, London, UK.
1990  Arab Artists, Damascus and Alleppo, Syria
1991  An Arist's Point of View, McIntosh Gallery, Toronto, Canada
  South of the World, Galleria Civica D' Arte Contemporanea, Marsala, Italy
1991  Baghdad International Festival of Art, Saddam Centre for the Arts, Baghdad
1992  Contemporary Jordanian Art, International World Fair, Seville, Spain
  Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World, The Notional Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. USA
1993  Re-creations, Le Centre Culturel Francais, Amman, Jordan
  Sixth Asian Art Biennial, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  Contemporary Jordanian Art, Qasr AI-Bustan, Mascot, Oman
  Exhibition of Arab Art, Darat al-Funun Arts Centre, Amman, Jordan
1994  Laila Shawa: The Walls of Gaza and Wijdan: Calligraphic Abstractlons, The October Gallery, London, UK

Selected Public Collections
The British Museum, London, UK
Shoman Foundation, Amman, Jordan
Jordan Notional Gallery, Amman, Jordan
Centre D'Art Vivant de la Ville de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Musee d'Asilah, Asilah, Morocco
National Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amman, Jordan

Selected Publications
Contemporary Art From the Islamic World, Scorpion Publishing Co. London, UK, 1989.
Introduction to Islamic Art: Umayyads, AbbaSlds, Andaluslons and Fatlmlds, Vol I (English). Under publication.
Development of Modern Art In Jordan, to be published.
    

 
 
 

 

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