In this new year 2025, the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI), starts with the colors of Chaïbia Tallal, an emblematic figure of art in Morocco. His creations embody a colorful spontaneity in resonance with the principles of the CoBrA movement, this revolutionary movement which marked Europe between 1948 and 1951.
The exhibition “Chaïbia/CoBrA: At the crossroads of Liberties”presented at MMVI from December 18, 2024 to March 3, 2025, highlights the emotional links between these two artistic universes, creating a form of enriching dialogue.
The tour mainly consists of a selection of works from the permanent collection of the MMVI as well as the Collection of the Cooperative, Musée Cérès Franco in France.
It was in 1965 that Chaïbia’s career really took off. Her meeting with Cérès Franco, who subsequently became her favorite gallery owner, and the artist Corneille, founding member of CoBrA, marks a decisive turning point in her career.
Seduced by the energy and originality of his work, they became his friends and his most fervent defenders, recognizing in his work the same qualities that they appreciated in CoBrA. Thanks to their support, Chaïbia quickly joined the circle of international artists and exhibited in Parisian galleries.
The similarities between Chaïbia’s approach and CoBrA have often been highlighted by critics. Some see a unique and unclassifiable artist like André Laude, and others like Georges Boudaille and Alain Flamand highlight an artistic convergence, although involuntary, with this movement. This affinity is explained by Chaïbia’s instinctive approach which joins the spirit of this avant-garde movement in its rejection of codes and its exploration of a raw and vibrant art.
The works presented thus reveal a creative synergy, where expressive vocabulary and free gesture, carried by artists who have been able to free themselves from academic rules, intersect and respond to each other.
“Chaïbia/CoBrA: At the crossroads of Liberties”, will be an opportunity to renew the celebration of Chaïbia’s work at the heart of the MMVI and to discover or rediscover his creations from a new perspective.
The National Museum Foundation thus continues to work to highlight national artists, while constantly broadening its horizons by welcoming big names in international art.
