Samia Halaby | A Pioneer in the Global Art Scene | Talks at Google

Samia Halaby discusses her 60 year artistic career, how she's overcome the challenges she faced as a woman, and how she’s blended the art and tech world in her pieces.

Artist and writer Samia Halaby is one of the most prominent female figures in the Middle Eastern art world and largely recognized as a pioneer in abstract painting. Since beginning her artistic career in the late 1950s, she has exhibited in museums, galleries, and art fairs internationally. Her work is housed in international private and public collections including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York and Abu Dhabi), the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), and the Chicago Art Institute.

Halaby received her education in the Midwestern United States between 1954 and 1963. She was the first woman to hold the position of Associate Professor at the Yale School of Art where she taught for 10 years. Throughout her years of teaching, she produced an incredible body of work, inspired by her understanding of shape and color, her travels, and her exposure to artists. After settling in New York in 1976, she began to devote her time entirely to painting and writing.

Videos courtesy of the Kinetic Painting Group:
Hasan Bakr — percussion, tambourine
Famoro Dioubate — bala
Tomchess — oud
Kevin Nathaniel — mbira

Moderated by Souheil Soueid.

#SamiaHalaby​ #GuggenheimMuseum​ #abstractpainting