Mona Zaalouk (1947 – 1995) was an Egyptian abstract painter and

tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

designer. She lived in Paris for some ten years at the end of her life.

Biography

Mona Zaalouk was born in 1947, in Egypt. Zaalouk graduated from the

American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ) is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, along with a continuing education program. ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

(1967), and she did additional studies at the same university in theatre directing. She had been a student of Fouad Kamel (1919–1973), the noted Egyptian

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

painter. In her early artwork she made tapestries from the thick

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

thread. She later pivoted to making paintings, and using sand, rocks and natural minerals for pigments and color. Zaalouk has held solo exhibitions at the French Cultural Centre, Cairo (1979); at the Centre Culturel d'Égypte, Paris (1982); at the Van Loo Gallery, Brussels (1988); at the Galerie Salem, Paris (1989); and at the Galerie Gramme, Paris (1991). She has been featured in group exhibitions, including at the Cairo Salon (1978, 1979); the Salon d'Art Sacré, Paris (1982); and the Salon des Femmes Peintres Sculpteurs, Paris (1986). Her work is included in museum collections, including at the

Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts is a major contemporary art museum located in Jabal al-Luweibdeh, Amman. The Official inauguration of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (JNGFA) was held under the patronage of the late King Hussein a ...

in Amman, Jordan. The Warren M. Robbins Library at the

National Museum of African Art The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the Washington, D.C., United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African ar ...

in Washington, D.C. have her artists' file and archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaalouk, Mona 1947 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Egyptian women artists Abstract painters American University alumni Artists from Cairo Artists from Paris Egyptian emigrants to France Egyptian painters Egyptian women painters Tapestry artists