Khadiga Riad (; 1914–1981),
was an Egyptian painter, sculptor, and jewelry designer.
She was the first Egyptian woman to exhibit abstract artwork, and was associated with the
surrealist movement. Riad has many variations in the spelling of her name in English, including Khadija Riyad, and Khadiga Riaz.
Early life and education
Khadiga Riad was born in 1914 in
Cairo,
Sultanate of Egypt (now
Egypt).
She was the daughter of Hamed El-Alailly, and granddaughter of poet,
Ahmed Shawqi.
Between 1950 until 1955, she studied under Armenian painter
Ashot Zorian,
and also studied at College de La Mere de Dieu in Cairo. At some point she changed her last name from Riaz (or Riyad), to Riad.
Career
In the late-1930s, Riad had opened her home for a meeting location for the
Art et Liberté
Groupe Art et Liberté ( ar, جماعة الفن والحرية; English: Art and Liberty Group, Art and Freedom Group) was an Egyptian artistic and political movement active from 1938 to 1948, about the time of the Second World War. Among th ...
group of artists, which included
Georges Henein
Georges Henein (1914–1973) was an Egyptian poet and author. He was a founding member of the Cairo-based, surrealist Art and Liberty Group which brought together artists, writers and various intellectuals of different backgrounds and national o ...
,
Ramses Younan, Fouad Kamel, and
Kamel el-Telmissany
Kamel el-Telmissany (1915-1972) was an Egyptian artist and filmmaker most commonly associated with the Cairo-based Art et Liberté Group. He was one of the group's founding members along with Georges Henein and Ramses Younan. His nephew is the fam ...
.
Her paintings were abstract, with layers of paint to create a texture.
In the mid-1960s she started designing jewelry, and made her own version of ancient Egyptian "mummy beads".
Riad represented the Egypt (then known as the
United Arab Republic) with her paintings in various art biennials, including at the
Venice Biennale (in 1960, 1966), the Alexandria Biennale (in 1957, 1959, 1968), and the Exposition Universelle, Montreal.
Her awards included third prize at the Alexandria Biennale (1959);
and first prize for her painting in a national Egyptian competition.
In 1974, her work was shown in a group exhibition of Arab artists at the
National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In 2017, Riad's work was part of the 9th annual group exhibition, "Contemporary Views" was held at the ''Al-Masar Gallery for Contemporary Art'' in Cairo.
See also
*
List of Egyptian women artists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riad, Khadiga
1914 births
1981 deaths
Artists from Cairo
Egyptian women painters
Surrealist artists
20th-century Egyptian women artists