Nja Mahdaoui
Nja Mahdaoui
Tunisia
Recognized internationally and known as the 'choreographer of letters', he played a pioneering role in the development of calligraphic abstraction. Deeply rooted in the Arab-Islamic culture, Mahdaoui transcends Arabic calligraphy into a visual and abstract contemporary art form to create a universal platform for intercultural dialogue and shared consciousness. Ever expanding his calligraphic language, his singular approach allowed him to express the intrinsic, infinite aesthetic qualities of Arabic letters and continues to inspire generations of artists.
Spanning more than six decades, Mahdaoui’s relentless passion for research has driven him to experiment with an extraordinary range of media, from works on parchment and canvas to large-scale installations in major public spaces. His work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions and is represented in numerous private and public collections.
- Nationality
- Tunisia
- Born
- 1937
- Mediums
- Painter, Visual Artist
"Artists of the Middle East: 1900 to Now"- Saeb Eigner, Thames & Hudson
“Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Farjam Collection"- The Farjam Collection, Yale University Press
"Nja Mahdaoui: Jafr - The Alchemy of Signs"- Monograph, Skira Editore
"Le Maître d'amour" - Rodrigo de Zayas, Éditions Albin Michel
"La Volupté d'en mourir"- Jamel Eddine Ben Cheikh, Éditions Alternatives
"Nja Mahdaoui"- Monograph, Cérès Productions
Bibliothèque nationale de France - Réserve des Livres Rares, France
Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, Cuba
Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Russia
Dalloul Art Foundation, Lebanon
Meta Open Arts, Menlo Park HQ, California, United States
Fondazione Orestiadi, Italy
IMA - Institut du Monde Arabe, France
IAMM - Islamic Art Museum of Malaysia , Malaysia
Japan Foundation, Japan
Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Jordan
KAUST University, Saudi Arabia
Klingspor Museum, Germany
LaM - Lille Métropole Musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain et d'art brut, France
Macam: National Museum of Modern Art, Tunisia
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar
Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada
National Art Gallery - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
National Museum of African Arts – Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States
National Museums of Scotland, United Kingdom
O Art Museum, Japan
RAK Art Foundation, Bahrain
SAMoCA , Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Germany
The Al-Mansouria Foundation, Saudi Arabia
The Arab Fund, Kuwait
The Barjeel Foundation, United Arab Emirates
The British Museum, United Kingdom
The Dubai Collection, United Arab Emirates
The Farjam Foundation, United Arab Emirates
Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates
Vakıfbank Collection, Türkiye
Written Art Collection, Germany
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