Safeya Binzagr, often referred to as the founder and pioneer of Saudi Arabia’s fine art movement died at the age of 84 on Thursday.
Safeya Binzagr
The tragic news was shared by Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation via a post on X saying: “With great sadness and sorrow, Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourns the esteemed professor Safeya Binzagr, who passed away today Sept. 12, 2024. Prayers will be held for her tomorrow, immediately after Friday prayers, at Al-Jafali Mosque, and her body will be buried in the cemetery of Umna Hawwa.”
Binzagr is remembered for her immutable contribution to Saudi Arabia‘s art scene, paving the way for several generations of artists. One of her many achievements include the first time she made history in 1968. Along with her friend Mounirah Mosly, Binzagr was one of two female artists to ever hold an art exhibition in Saudi Arabia. “I thought, I will do the exhibition; they will receive it or they will object. If they do, I will try again,” she previously told Vogue Arabia. “The exhibition was held at the girls’ school Dar Al Tarbiah as no show spaces or galleries existed in the country. “Don’t stop, don’t let obstacles be an excuse to give up.” The artist also went on to share her life’s motto, which perfectly encapsulates Binzagr’s legacy: “If you have the will, you will. Hard work always pays off and pushes you to be in the beginning of the line.”
Binzagr continued to shape art history by becoming the first internationally exhibited Saudi artist with shows in Paris, London, and Geneva. She was also recognized by the UN Environment Programme for her works contributing to the protection of national heritage, the GCC in the field of culture during the meeting of the Gulf ministers of culture in 2013, as well as bestowed with first class honors in 2017 in the order of King Abdul Aziz from King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, in appreciation of her contribution to Saudi culture, which the artist hails as her proudest moment. “I loved art but I never thought that I would become what I am now,” she told Vogue Arabia.
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