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Mona Saudi (1 October 1945 – 16 February 2022) was a Jordanian sculptor, publisher, and art activist.

Mona Saudi
Saudi in 2013
Born	(1945-10-01)1 October 1945 Amman, Transjordan
Died	16 February 2022(2022-02-16) (aged 76)
Nationality	Jordanian[1]
Education	École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (1973)
Known for	Sculptor, publisher, activist
Movement	Modernist

Life and career

Mona Saudi was born in Amman, Jordan.[2] She grew up in a neighbourhood that was metres away from the Nymphaeum (ancient Roman public baths) and this was her playground. The proximity to a historic site gave her a profound respect for Jordan's ancient art heritage, as well as providing her with a source of inspiration for her sculptures.[3]

As a teenager, growing up in Amman, she knew that she wanted to move to Beirut, the then centre of the Arab arts scene, and become a full time artist. At the age of 17 years, she ran away from home, taking a taxi to Beirut.[4] In an interview with the Gulf News, she explained that she left home without her father's permission because in her family, women were banned from attending university.[5]

In Beirut, she met influential artists, poets and intellectuals, including Adonis, Paul Guiragossian and Michel Basbous, and became part of their social circle.[6] She held her first exhibition in a Beirut cafe, and from this raised sufficient funds to purchase a ticket to Paris.[7]

She enrolled at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and graduated in 1973.[8] In Paris, she fell in love with stone as a medium for her sculpture and had been using it ever since.[9]

Saudi died on 16 February 2022, at the age of 76.[10]

Work

Saudi mainly sculpts in stone. She used stones from around the world to create her sculptures.[11] Outside of her country, Saudi was one of the best known Jordanian artists.[12] Her subject matter explored themes of growth and creation.

Select list of sculptures

• Mother / Earth, 1965
• In Time of War: Children Testify, 1970
• Growth, Jordanian jade, c. 2002
• The Seed, 2007

Selected solo exhibitions

• Poetry and Form, Sharjah Art Museum, 2018[13]
• Poetry in Stone, UAE, 2015
• Al-Balkaa Art Gallery, Fuheis, Jordan, 1992
• Gallery 50 x 70, Beirut, Lebanon, 1992
• Al-Salmieh Gallery, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 1985
• Alia Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan, 1983
• Galerie Épreuve d'Artiste, Beirut, 1982
• Galerie Elissar, Beirut, 1981
• Galerie Contemporain, Beirut, 1975
• Gallery One, Beirut, 1973
• Galerie Vercamer, Paris, 1971

Selected group exhibitions

• Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World, 1994
• The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, 1994
• Atelier Art Public, Paris, 1993
• Jordanian Contemporary Art Ontario, Canada, 1991
• Arab Contemporary Art, Paris, 1987
• Arab Contemporary Art, London, 1983

See also

• Jordanian art

References

Bibliography

• Teller, Matthew (2002). Jordan. Rough Guides. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-85828-740-9.

External links

• Official website

На других языках

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- [en] Mona Saudi

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[fr] Mona Saudi

Mona Saudi, née le 1er octobre 1945 à Amman en Jordanie, morte le 16 février 2022[1], est une sculptrice jordanienne.

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