Wijdan
An art historian, painter, art curator and diplomat. Following her undergraduate studies in history at Beirut College for Women, in 1961, she gained a PhD in the history of Islamic art from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 1993.
Describing the essential qualities of Islamic art, Wijdan has written, ‘Islamic art focuses on the spiritual representation of objects and beings, not on their material qualities. Neglecting the exact imitation of nature, the Islamic artists chose a two-dimensional stylization to represent their visions. The artist’s quest was for the eternal representation of the spirit.’ Given the supreme importance of the word of God as set down in the Qur’an and its transmission throughout the Islamic world, the traditional emphasis upon the primacy of the written word served to elevate Arabic calligraphy into the pre-eminent form of artistic expression, a level it never attained in the western tradition. Whilst the zenith of the Islamic calligraphic tradition was perhaps reached in the Fourteenth Century, there are still many noted exponents of the traditional forms today. However, interactions with western developments also helped stimulate stylistic innovations, and Wijdan’s artistic practice is situated at the forefront edge of the modern calligraphic styles in the visual arts that incorporate contemporary ideas and western media.
Wijdan has written, edited and contributed to a number of publications on traditional and contemporary art from the Islamic world. She is the founder of the Royal Society of Fine Arts (1979) and the National Gallery of Fine Arts, (1980) in Jordan, as well as the founder and dean of the faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan (2001-2005). Since October 2006, she has been the Jordanian Ambassador to Italy and currently lives and works in Rome.
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Education |
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1993 |
Ph.D. in Islamic Art, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London, England. |
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1990 |
MA, Islamic Art, SOAS, University of London. |
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1961 |
BA, History, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. |
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1958-63 |
Private training in painting with Armando Prön (Italian) and Muhanna Durra (Jordanian), Amman. |
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Solo Exhibitions |
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2009 |
"I Am You" Sharjah, LipanjePuntin artecontemporane, Rome, Italy |
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2003 |
"Honored Artist at the Sharjah Biennale" Sharjah, U. A. E. |
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2002 |
"Three Phases in Four Decades" Darat Al-Funun, Amman, Jordan |
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2001 |
"al-Riwaq Gallery" Manama, Bahrain |
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1994 |
"Riwaq al-Balqa'", Fuhais, Jordan. |
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"Shawa & Wijdan", October Gallery, London. |
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"Umaniyat", The Literary Club, Muscat, Oman. |
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1993 |
"Galligraphy in Watercolor"The Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1992 |
"Wijdan and Franco de Courten", Shoman Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1990 |
The Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1986 |
Petra Bank Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1981 |
Alia Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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Fine Arts Council, Karachi, Pakistan. |
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1980 |
Jordan National Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1977 |
The Gallery, Amman, Jordan. |
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1979 |
Middle East Institute, Washington D.C., USA. |
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1973 |
Thor Gallery, Louisville, USA. |
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1972 |
Gallerias Melia, Madrid, Spain. |
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Jordan Intercontinental, Amman, Jordan. |
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1967 |
British Council, Amman, Jordan. |
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1965 |
Le Centre Culturel Français, Amman, Jordan. |
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Woodstock Gallery, London, England. |
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1965 |
Galerie Wirth, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany. |
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1964 |
Le Centre Culturel Français, Amman, Jordan. |
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1963 |
American Cultural Centre, Amman, Jordan. |
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Artistic Awards |
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1995 |
Al-Hussein bin Talal Gold Medal for Artistic Achievement. |
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1987 |
Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - Ministere de la Culture en France. |
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1981 |
Medaille d'Or - Academie Internationale de Lutèce, Lille, France. |
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1981 |
Diplome d'Honneur - Institut Européen de Science Humaine dans la Discipline Academique Beaux Arts, Brussel, Belgium. |
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Selected Solo Shows |
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1965 |
Woodstock Gallery, London, UK |
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Galerie Wirth, Berlin, West Germany |
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Le Centre Culturel Francais. Amman,Jordan |
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1972 |
Gallerias Melia, Madrid Spain |
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1973 |
Thor Gallery Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
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1979 |
Middle East Institute, Washington D,C |
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1980 |
Jordan National Gallery. Amman, |
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1981 |
Fine A.rts Council Karachi Pakistan |
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1992 |
Wijdan and Franco de Courten, Shoman Gallery Amman. Jordan |
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1993 |
The Gallery, Amman, Jordan |
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Selected Mixed Shows |
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1961 |
Jordanian Artists' Exhibition, Amman Municipality, Amman, Jordan |
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1982 |
Jordanian Art Exhibition, Moscow |
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Assila Art Exhibition, Assila, Morocco |
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Four Artists from Jordan, The Wraxall Gallery, London, UK |
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Arab Artists Exhibition, Centre D'Art Vivant de la Ville de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia |
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1983-84 |
Jordanian Contemporary Art, Ankara State Museum, Ankara, Turkey (toured Istanbul, Turkey). |
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Jordanian Contemporary Art, Zacenta Art Gallery, Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan, Poland |
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1986 |
Cairo Biennial, Cairo, Egypt |
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Baghdad International Festival of Art, Saddam Centre for the Arts, Baghdad, Iraq. |
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La Vie Royale: L 'Art Contemporaien Jordanie, Musee du Luxembourg, Paris, France |
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1989 |
Contemporary Art From the Islamic World, Barbican Centre, London, UK. |
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1990 |
Arab Artists, Damascus and Alleppo, Syria |
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1991 |
An Arist's Point of View, McIntosh Gallery, Toronto, Canada |
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South of the World, Galleria Civica D' Arte Contemporanea, Marsala, Italy |
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1991 |
Baghdad International Festival of Art, Saddam Centre for the Arts, Baghdad |
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1992 |
Contemporary Jordanian Art, International World Fair, Seville, Spain |
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Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World, The Notional Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. USA |
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1993 |
Re-creations, Le Centre Culturel Francais, Amman, Jordan |
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Sixth Asian Art Biennial, Dhaka, Bangladesh. |
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Contemporary Jordanian Art, Qasr AI-Bustan, Mascot, Oman |
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Exhibition of Arab Art, Darat al-Funun Arts Centre, Amman, Jordan |
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1994 |
Laila Shawa: The Walls of Gaza and Wijdan: Calligraphic Abstractlons, The October Gallery, London, UK |
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Selected Public Collections
The British Museum, London, UK
Shoman Foundation, Amman, Jordan
Jordan Notional Gallery, Amman, Jordan
Centre D'Art Vivant de la Ville de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia
Musee d'Asilah, Asilah, Morocco
National Gallery, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amman, Jordan
Selected Publications
Contemporary Art From the Islamic World, Scorpion Publishing Co. London, UK, 1989.
Introduction to Islamic Art: Umayyads, AbbaSlds, Andaluslons and Fatlmlds, Vol I (English). Under publication.
Development of Modern Art In Jordan, to be published.