The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) begins the year 2025 with a major exhibition that celebrates the vibrant world of Chaïbia Tallalthe most famous Moroccan painter of the 20th century. Entitled “Chaïbia /CoBrA: at the crossroads of freedoms”, this exhibition, which runs until March 3, 2025, explores the meeting between the unique art of Chaïbia and the European avant-garde movement CoBrA, a revolutionary current that shook the European art scene from 1948 to 1951.
Through a series of works emblematic, the exhibition highlights the visual and emotional resonances between the creations by Chaïbia and those of CoBrA artists. Far from being confined to geographical or temporal boundaries, this meeting offers an enriching dialogue that goes beyond eras and styles. Indeed, the art of Chaïbia Tallal, rich in dazzling colors and spontaneous gestures, fits perfectly into the CoBrA aspirationswho was looking for a raw and authentic form of expression, far removed from the traditional codes of academic art.
The exhibition “Chaïbia/CoBrA: at the crossroads of freedoms” presents a selection of works from the permanent collection du 2006 as well as the Collection of the Cooperative, Musée Cérès Franco in France.
This route allows the visitor to measure the importance of the reciprocal influence between Chaïbia and the members of CoBrAwho share a desire to free themselves from established rules, in particular those which governed figurative representation.
The story of Chaïbia Tallal took a major turning point in 1965, when she met Cérès Franco, a French gallery owner who would become one of her greatest allies. But it was above all his meeting with Corneille, founding member of the CoBrA movement, which marked a turning point in his career. Seduced by the expressive force of his art, Corneille became a fervent defender of his work and introduced him to the restricted circle of European artists. Thanks to this support, Chaïbia quickly established itself on the international scene, particularly in Paris, where its works were exhibited in galleries
renowned.
-Criticism has often highlighted the affinities between the work of Chaïbia and that of the members of CoBrA, noting the similarity in their instinctive and spontaneous approach to painting.
Voices like those ofAndre Laude, Georges Boudaille or Alain Flamand described Chaïbia as an exceptional artist, whose art is similar to that of the members of CoBrA not only by his way of being, but also by his commitment to a quest for creative freedom, rejection of conventions and exploration of raw and vibrant forms of expression.
Through this exhibition, the public will be able to appreciate the way in which Chaïbia, through his bold use of color and form, joins the spirit of a movement which has had a major influence on contemporary art. THE works of CoBrA and Chaïbia respond to each other in the same quest for artistic freedombreaking with norms and seeking a pure, instinctive truth.
By celebrating Chaïbia Tallal alongside the CoBrA movement, the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art reaffirms its role as a cultural catalyst, bringing a new dimension to the history of contemporary art, both nationally and internationally. The exhibition “Chaïbia/CoBrA: at the crossroads of freedoms” offers a unique opportunity to rediscover the art of Chaïbia under a new prism and to explore the deep connections that unite Moroccan art and global avant-garde trends. n
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