Sharjah Art Museum to Exhibit Lifetime Work of Pioneering Kuwaiti Artist

Lasting Impressions: Thuraya Al-Baqsami runs from October 11 to December 16, 2017.

SHARJAH, October 1, 2017:   Sharjah Art Museum is to open the UAE’s first exhibition dedicated to the award-winning Kuwaiti artist and writer Thuraya Al-Baqsami.

Running from October 11, 2017 to December 16, 2017, Lasting Impressions: Thuraya Al-Baqsami is the eighth edition of the Lasting Impressions exhibition series that pays tribute to the region’s most influential artists. 

The exhibition brings together more than 200 of Thuraya Al-Baqsami’s paintings, posters, drawings and illustrations dating back to the 1960s. It will take visitors on a journey through the artist’s life in cities including Cairo, Moscow and Dakar, as well as showcase her visual interpretation of events that affected the region, including the Gulf War. 

Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department, said: “Sharjah Art Museum is honoured to dedicate an exhibition entirely to the work of Thuraya Al-Baqsami. This is the largest and most comprehensive collection of her work to date. 

“In choosing the subjects of the Lasting Impressions series, Sharjah Art Museum carefully selects regional artists who have made a profound impact. Thuraya’s works spanning half a century have done more than any to capture the modernisation of the Gulf through one artist’s journey.”

She added: “As a Gulf female artist practicing from the 1960s until today, we wanted to celebrate the achievements of women cultural practitioners in the region and ensure their integral place in history. We are confident that this exhibition will serve as a point of inspiration for all art enthusiasts, especially young women, from all over the region who are making a start in their artistic careers.”

Thuraya Al-Baqsami has held 60 solo exhibitions worldwide and participated in more than 250 collective exhibitions spanning her long career. She has won numerous awards for both her art and her writing. Her works are in the collections of the British Museum, UNESCO, the Museum of Human Rights Geneva, and the Kuwait National Museum, among others.

Hosted by Sharjah Art Museum and guest-curated by Monira Al-Qadiri, the exhibition brings together pieces from public and private collections throughout the region and beyond. Many are being exhibited publicly for the first time. The collection coincides with the launch of a new book and documentary about the artist’s long career.