She led me by the arm through the crowd gathered for the exhibition opening of 33 artists’ paintings right over to the two paintings I had already spent the most time studying. It was a privilege … and I could just feel her pride in sharing her work. A self-taught artist born in 1950, Taoufa alHarah paints with rich symbolism and bold childlike color. Her work is often categorized as ‘crude art’ or ‘naive art’ but according to the who’s who list of artists attending this exhibition, Taoufa alHarah is one of Morocco’s most celebrated artists.
Her paintings, though strong in their genre of surface decoration on sea trunks and shoji screens, carry heavier matters at their heart … matters about which Taoufa cares deeply such as human rights and the Moroccan story. Enjoyed by children, hailed by colleagues and honored by King Mohamed VI himself, Taoufa alHarah stands as a beautiful model to the creative spirit at its most childlike and visionary.
