SCHIRN NEWSROOM: CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL: A POSTCOLONIAL AVANT-GARDE 1962

CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL: A POSTCOLONIAL AVANT-GARDE 1962–1987

JULY 12 – OCTOBER 13, 2024

Just a few years after Morocco gained independence in 1956, Casablanca became a vibrant center of cultural renewal. The Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt presents the unique and influential work of the Casablanca Art School in a first major, long-overdue exhibition. The main representatives of this innovative school—Farid Belkahia (1934–2014), Mohammed Chabâa (1935–2013), Bert Flint (1931–2022), Toni Maraini (b. 1941), and Mohamed Melehi (1936–2020), together with students, teachers, and associated artists—quickly became the central driving force for the development of postcolonial modern art in the region.

THE MOROCCAN “NEW WAVE”: THE SCHIRN PRESENTS THE INFLUENTIAL ART SCENE AROUND THE CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL IN A FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION

They included a reassessment of the relationship between art, handicrafts, design, and architecture within the local context in dialogue with the ideas of the Bauhaus manifesto. This was achieved by combining artistic influences from Western metropolises with elements of the vernacular legacy which had been undermined during the colonial era. The Schirn will be presenting some 100 works, including large-format, colorful, abstract (mural) paintings, graphic experiments, and everyday objects, as well as comprehensive documentary material, revealing a specifically Moroccan art scene with transnational aspirations.

An exhibition organized by Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Tate St Ives, and Sharjah Art Foundation

CURATORS

Morad Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet (for Zamân Books & Curating) in cooperation with Esther Schlicht and Luise Leyer (Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt). Associate Researchers Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa and Maud Houssais

Film of the exhibition

The Schirn presents the unique and influential work of the Casablanca Art School in a first major, long overdue exhibition. The film accompanying the show provides insights into the work of the main representatives of this innovative school, which quickly became a central driving force for the development of post-colonial modern art in the region.

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CATALOG

The exhibition catalog presents a large number of works by teachers and students of the Casablanca Art School, which became a center for interdisciplinary experimentation and cultural renewal after Morocco's independence in 1956.

"CASABLANCA ART SCHOOL. A POSTCOLONIAL AVANT-GARDE 1962–1987", edited by Morad Montazami, Madeleine de Colnet, and Esther Schlicht, with contributions by Maud Houssais, Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa, and Morad Montazami, as well as a foreword by the director of the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Sebastian Baden. German-English edition, 136 pages, approx. 150 illustrations, 19 x 27 cm, softcover, Spector Books, ISBN 978-3-95905-848-3, €29 (Schirn), €32 (bookstores)

Press Texts

Press information of the exhibition "Casablanca Art School: A Postcolonial Avant-Garde 1962–1987"

11.07.2024 | The Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt is presenting the unique and influential work of the Casablanca Art School from July 12 to October 12, 2024, in a first major exhibition, one that is long overdue.

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Wallpanels on the exhibition "Casablanca Art School: A Postcolonial Avant-Garde 1962–1987"

11.07.2024 | Here you can find the wallpanels of the exhibition "Casablanca Art School: A Postcolonial Avant-Garde 1962–1987".

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Press Images

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