Remembering Safeya Binzagr - ‘The Mother of Saudi Contemporary Art’

Trailblazing Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, known as ‘The Mother of Saudi Art’, passed away on September 12th at the age of 84. For over half a century, Binzagr, recognizable by her distinctive henna-dyed hair and traditional Hijazi headdresses, was a pillar of the Saudi art scene, inspiring generations of artists.

Born into a prominent merchant family in Jeddah, she was largely educated in Egypt before attending a British finishing school, and earning a diploma in art and design from Central Saint Martins in London.

Despite years living abroad, Binzagr remained devoted to her native Jeddah and returned to Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s, becoming a pioneering figure in its emerging art scene. In 1968, alongside her friend Mounira Mosly, she organised the first exhibition for women artists in the Kingdom, held at Dar Al Tarbiya high school, and continued to organise shows both locally and internationally throughout the 1970s.

Binzagr's eclectic practice spanned etchings, pastels, oil paintings and watercolours, combining the roles of artist and historian. As Saudi Arabia modernised with the rise of the oil industry, she felt a responsibility to document through her art a rapidly disappearing way of life. Travelling across the country, Binzagr captured scenes of daily life in all its local diversity - from the tribal dresses of Najd and elaborate traditional wedding ceremonies, to children playing forgotten games like al Kabush, made from camel bones, in the alleys of Old Jeddah.

Her iconic 1969 painting ‘Al Zaboon’ embodies Binzagr’s mission to create a visual archive for Saudi Arabia’s social history. Dubbed the ‘Hijazi Mona Lisa’ during the 1980 Paris Art Exhibition, the painting is both a tribute to Saudi and Arab womanhood and a valuable historical record of the Hejaz's distinct tradition of local dress.

In 1995, Binzagr established Darat Safeya Binzagr, a cultural centre showcasing her work. For a time, it was the Kingdom's only public art museum. The centre, which also features an extensive arts library and a collection of traditional dress and jewellery, became a hub for promoting the arts, offering classes for young students and hosting a monthly women's art salon.

In her later years, as Saudi Arabia began investing more in the promotion of its cultural heritage, interest in Binzagr's work grew. In 2017, she was awarded the King Abdulaziz Medal, the Kingdom’s highest civilian honour, by King Salman in recognition of her contributions to Saudi art and culture. In 2022, her painting Al Zaboon was a centrepiece of the exhibition ‘Khaleej Modern: Pioneers and Collectives in the Arabian Peninsula’ at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.