The Beginnings
In the year 1940, the heart of the old city of Jeddah witnessed the birth of an artist who was destined to keep its memory alive in the hearts and minds of future posterity. Harat Al-Sham, where her family house was located, seems to have merged with Safeya Binzagr’s soul as she took her first gulp of air, and the bond between the place and the artist got stronger as time went by.
When Safeya Binzagr moved to Egypt with her family in 1947, a strong sense of nostalgia pulled her back to a special place enriched by the warmth of its people, their valuable customs and traditions. In the meantime, fate was planning another meeting between the place and the artist, a meeting that will link the old features of the city with its present and future through the strokes of the artist’s brush that will capture its past with love and appreciation.
1963 Safeya returned to her hometown where she realized that the wind of change was blowing around the city she had known, and the hand of progress started to push Jeddah outside the boundaries of its old walls. Jeddah was spreading in every direction leaving behind the narrow allies where skillfully ornamented houses come close to one another allowing warmth and friendly relationships between its residents. The people who resided in those houses started to move out and they exchanged cemented relationships with cemented modern villas. The modernization process entailed that they give up their old habits and their old dress code.
Coming back to Jeddah, Safeya’s longing for the old place was not fulfilled. The more she yearned for the place she had left behind, the more eager she became to relive the beautiful yet short time she had once experienced in that place.
Safeya’s only means of recapturing the past was her brush, but her focused purpose and strong resolve gave her the invocation needed to embark on her arduous and laborious mission to recreate the past and celebrate its beauty. The artist held her brush with determination and began in earnest to reconstruct the old city as she had known it, complete with its buildings and those who had lived in them; men, women and children appear dressed up in their old costumes and seriously involved in their old activities.
Who said that good old times never come back?
Here is Old Jeddah looking over the Jeddah of today, as it will look over the Jeddah of tomorrow. Safeya’s imposing paintings transport the viewer to a time that had passed, it depicts meticulously what took place in Harat al-Sham and the other neighboring allies, inside those cold stony houses, and behind those festooned wooden windows. The rich paintings of Safeya Binzagr will remain a living testimony to a heritage that will never dissipate, and a reminder of a past era that she took pains to restructure and keep intact for generations to come.
Schooling
When she first arrived to Cairo in 1947, Safeya joined school until she received her secondary certificate in 1957. She graduated from High School (Art Diploma) in 1960, and then left Cairo to London where she enrolled in Finishing School for three years.
Coming back to Egypt in 1965, Safeya took private lessons to develop her artistic talent. She went back to London to join Saint Martins College for two years and graduated 1976 with a degree in Drawing and Graphics.
Style
Dr. Hamdi Khamis once said: “Art is always for the people, and people are the past, present and future.” This was my point of departure in the world of Art. – Safeya Binzagr
This is the way Safeya charts her route in the world of art. She sets out with the intention of drawing from the past of the people in order to imbue their present and future with its wealth. The artist chose her path as carefully as she chose an appropriate style to reach her goal. Genuine Impressionism helped Safeya’s presentation of her subject and contributed to her ability to show with great accuracy and detail all the facets of the social life in her local environment. This subject matter, which is central to all of her paintings, is adequately illustrated to reveal an intimacy and genuineness through warm and vibrant colors, through spaces and compositions that come together in a harmonious and attractive manner.
If we study Safeya’s works in its totality, we can trace the stages through which her art has developed. In the early stages she was under the influence of the great Impressionists, such as Gitto, Fra Angelico, and Cézanne. At a later stage she came into contact with the oriental style of coloring which is apparent in her painting titled, “The Bedouin woman”, where the Japanese or Chinese brush strokes are clear in the woman’s bust.
Eventually, Safeya managed to escape these influences and cultivated a style of her own in sync with her subject matter. This independent fashion is what subtly and singularly distinguishes her paintings; her original method enabled her to surpass the familiar and assert her difference in a new artistic vocabulary derived from her own imagination.
Characteristic of her paintings are simple structures, powerful formations and imposing shapes. She diversifies her artistic tools to suit the subject of each painting achieving uniformity and consistence. Since Safeya’s main goal is to capture the cultural habits of old times accurately, she relied on fast sketches based on photographic images of places, people and events. She worked diligently consulting references, books, and oral narrative in order to ensure the credibility of her art.
Stages of Development
Safeya Binzagr is considered one of the pioneers in the movement of fine arts in Saudi Arabia. Her long career as an artist began with her first exhibition in 1968 which she held in Jeddah at Dar al-Tarbiya high school. Safeya had herself planned and organized the successful event. Since there were no specialized galleries at the time, she had to set up the classrooms of this girls’ high school and furnish them as much as needed to make them adequate enough to host that event.
The response to her first exhibition was overwhelming, but that was only the beginning. Her local exhibitions followed one another and she held them in the major cities of the kingdom: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Al-Jubail, Al-Medina, Yanbu, and Abha. Her other exhibitions took place in Paris, Geneva, and London for a total of 18 personal and six group exhibitions through which Safeya was established as the artist of Saudi culture on the local and international scale.
Since her early association with painting, Safeya had noticed the big change that affected the style of life around her which prompted her to start documenting a fading legacy through her art. Her artistic intuition cautioned her that she was racing with time, so she hastily put her camera to use and captured on film most of the sites before they disappeared completely, then she reproduced them with the aid of the stock of her memory.
Safya took it upon herself to rely on documented materials and pursued its primary sources to ensure the authenticity of her work which she aimed to present in a precise and accurate manner. Her paintings though are not simple copies of reality, they also reflect the artist’s vision and feelings; love transpire from every drawing, her reminiscence fills up all angles, and her admiration for the old practices is revealed in her distinctive choice of space, composition and color.
After thirty years of hard work in the field of fine art, Safeya’s ardent, lifelong wish materialized. The grand opening of her private gallery, she called al-Dara, was an impressive event that crowned her efforts over the years.
Working at the “Darat Safeya Binzagr” Started in 1995, activity, workshop, lectures and accepting visitors.
In January 2000, the Dara was officially opened under the patronage of his Royal Highness Prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz, and to commemorate this special day, Safeya issued her second book, “ A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage”, in which she clearly stated the goals and aims of her Dara.
Achievements
Early in her life, she contributed some artistic writings to local newspapers. She also wrote many lectures in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh & gave a lecture at the Cairo Ladies Club.In addition, she judged many art competition for youth and children. She hosted continues cultural and educational gathering ”artistic, literary, and cultural” in her council that provided the community with rich meetings.
Her first book was issued in English and French under the title: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: an Artist’s look to the past”. and She titled her second book: “A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage”. the latest third book titled “Darzah: 200 Years of Sartorial Heritage in Saudi Arabia” in arabic and English
In her Private Atelier and the art studios, she offered a workshop in the basics of Art.
Annual Poetry Debate
Since 2003, Darat Safeya Binzagr has presenting the annual poetry debate in March of each year, based on preserving the literary heritage with the participation of those interested in authentic Arabic literature, it continued for four years.
International Participations
Darat Safia Binzagr participated in the Saudi Cultural Week in Egypt in 2007 and presented a painting a group work by the children, transferring the painting “Guernica 1923” by Picasso, and the painting “Peace” 1952 by Picasso.
Arts Workshop
Darat safeya Binzagr hosted an Islamic arts workshop in cooperation with Effat College and The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London 2006 & 2007.
Hosted Exhibitions
- The Antique Fans Exhibition (Private Collection Collectibles). 2013
- “Antique collections from the good old days” exhibition 2016
- Capo di Monte Porcelain Collection, Inkwells and Lighting Exhibition 2017
- Darat Safia Binzagr hosted the Chinese Porcelain “One Belt and One Road” exhibition 2019
Darat Safeya Binzagr children competition
Organizing annual art competitions for children and youth “Darat Safeya Binzagr competition” since 2001, choosing different topics to stimulate the imagination of the participants to be creative:
- 2001, organized “Jeddah in the Eyes of Children” competition at the Jeddah Festival 21 on the Corniche, age 12 girls and boys, Children from 6-9 years also participated in drawing on the Corniche sidewalk.
- 2002, held ”Al-Fahd Achievements in 20 Years” Competition, by drawing on Paper Kite that flew in the sky of the Jeddah Corniche.
- 2003, held an “Arabic calligraphy on paper face mask” competition on
- 2004, held “the theater” competition
- 2005, held “the heritage door” competition in the Kingdom
- 2006, held competition “ la mer ” drawing on Angel Fish from the Red Sea.
- 2007, held “folding fan” competition, painting cities of world.
- 2008, held a competition for the art of Islamic decoration
- 2009, held the dress competition to draw a traditional costume from different countries.
- 2010, held a lantern competition to decorate mosque lanterns.
- 2011, held a carpet competition. To introduce traditional carpets as an art.
- 2012, drawing on Clay pot Competition.
- 2013, The saddle Competition.
- 2014, held “the natural landscape painting” Competition.
- 2015, held “painting Al-Sambuk” Competition .
- 2016, held the Falcon Competition
- 2017, held Al-Dallah Competition
- 2018, held Al-Daf Competition painting on Arabic drums
- 2019, held the Book decoration Competition.
- 2020, held the Qubba Competition.
Awards & Exhibitions
Safeya Binzagr was honored by King Salman bin Abdulaziz (may God protect him) with the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First class, during the opening of the 2017 Janadriyah Festival. She considers this honor a great appreciation for her artistic career and what she has provided to the art society in terms of studies and research, in addition to a rich library at the literary and artistic level to serve researchers and enrich their field.
On behalf of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr. Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, honored the artist Safeya Binzagr, in appreciation of her great efforts in enriching the cultural achievements in the gulf Council countries on 26 Oct, 2022.
Exhibitions
What Others Say
HRH Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud
Fmr. President General of Youth Welfare
"A serious approach, originality, and representation of Saudi traditions and social customs have characterized her work."
Wahib Binzagr
Safeya's Brother
"These paintings tell the story of our heritage and social life in all its rich details, from A to Z".
The Darat
History
The conception of establishing Darat Safeya Binzagr goes back to 1989 when the artist felt the need for finding a place that accommodates all of her paintings permanently. She wanted to be able to display her work in a distinctive manner that meets the standards of international museums, so she took the initial steps to begin construction of the building in 1922.
The building was ready by 1995, and on the 23rd of January 2000, the Dara was opened officially by H.R.H Prince AbdulMajeed Bin AbdulAziz AlSaud, to mark a significant and formidable genuine artist to the history of art in Saudi Arabia.
Architectural Design
The building of the Darat is distinguished by its innovative architectural design; its exterior echoes the great facades of Nabataean Mada’in Saleh. The external walls are simple enough to maintain harmony with the minute details of the windows and the doors, which are made of engraved wood.
The intricate woodwork follows the conventional intricate patterns that used to ornament the doors of the old houses in Jeddah, and it precisely replicates the engravings on the door of the old house of Binzagr at Harat Asham
