MAHIEDDINE BAYA (1931 - 1998) Lot n° 48

Femme cheveux au vent sur un voilier, c. 1950 Gouache on paper 90.5 x 64 cm 35 5/8 x 25 13/64 in. Mahieddine Baya Orphaned at the age of five, Mahieddine Baya, born near Algiers, was very quickly encouraged by the French artist Marguerite Caminat-Benhoura. Dazzled by the flowers and birds of the artist's house, Baya began to paint characters and animals with dreamlike forms. Often fantastic, the sound register is articulated around vibrant and warm colors. Indian pink, deep blue, warm violet or emerald green are hues cherished by the artist, which often form the background of her early works. Spotted by Aimé Maeght passing through Algiers in 1943, Baya gave her first solo exhibition in Paris, at the age of 16, whose catalog was prefaced by André Breton. The artist's gouaches depict female characters, sometimes at the water's edge, in settings with lush and imaginary vegetation. His line is pure, delicate and unrepentant. The four works presented here are an illustration of the abundant creativity of an artist who would take up her brushes again at the end of her life to offer the viewer the lyrical flight that characterizes her.