Mona Saudi ( ar, منى السعودي) (1 October 1945 – 16 February 2022) was a Jordanian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, publisher, and art

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

Life and career

Mona Saudi was born in Amman, Jordan. She grew up in a neighbourhood that was metres away from the

Nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' or ''nymphaion'' ( grc, νυμφαῖον), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

(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.Gronlund, M., "The Remarkable Career of Jordanian Artist, Mona Saudi," ''The National,'' 18 May 2018
Online:
/ref> 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. 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.Kalsi, J., "Mona Saudi Creates Poetry in Stone," ''Gulf News,'' 24 June 201
Online:
/ref> In Beirut, she met influential artists, poets and intellectuals, including Adonis,

Paul Guiragossian Paul Guiragossian (; 1926 – November 20, 1993) was an Armenian Lebanese painter. Biography Born to Armenian parents, who were survivors of the Armenian genocide, Paul Guiragossian experienced the consequences of exile from a very tender age. ...

and Michel Basbous, and became part of their social circle. She held her first exhibition in a Beirut cafe, and from this raised sufficient funds to purchase a ticket to Paris. She enrolled at the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and graduated in 1973. In Paris, she began using stone as a medium for her sculpture and had been using it ever since. Saudi died on 16 February 2022, at the age of 76.

Work

Saudi mainly sculpts in stone. She used stones from around the world to create her sculptures. Outside of her country, Saudi was one of the best known Jordanian artists. 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 The Sharjah Art Museum is an art museum in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Sharjah Art Museum

, 2018Krishna Kumar, N.P., "Mona Saudi’s Aesthetic Journey," ''Gulf News,'' 11 July 2018
Online:
/ref> *''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 Jordanian art has a very ancient history. Some of the earliest figurines, found at Aïn Ghazal, near Amman, have been dated to the Neolithic period. A distinct Jordanian aesthetic in art and architecture emerged as part of a broader Islamic art t ...

References

Bibliography
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External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saudi, Mona 1945 births 2022 deaths 20th-century publishers (people) 20th-century women artists 21st-century women artists Jordanian sculptors Jordanian women sculptors Jordanian activists Jordanian women activists People from Amman École des Beaux-Arts alumni