Chaibia Representing Morocco
Chaibia, (1929 – 2004) Chaibia a self-taught Moroccan painter, has earned her "houria" or freedom both as woman and as artist. This is an unusual accomplishment since under the Moslem family law practiced in her country, women must submit to the control of father, husband, or brothers and certainly are not professionally encouraged to be painters. Chaibia's unique professional achievements, her vibrant figurative paintings and drawings, have now been exhibited in Morocco, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Tunisia, Iraq, and the United States.
Her fairy-tale life story from rags to riches, and her freedom to develop a career, to exhibit, and to travel; have been subjects of extensive television, video, and journalistic review. In Morocco, she has become a folk heroine, especially among women of the poor and working classes. Most recently, the King of Morocco bought twenty of her paintings for his private collection and, one of her paintings was selected as the poster for the Contemporary Women's International Art Exhibition in Vitry-sur-Seine, France.