Mohamed Ben Ali R'bati: a pioneer of Moroccan painting

Mohamed Ben Ali R'bati (c. 1861–1939)

Oil painting by DAMSSILI, Moroccan artist — Oil painting by DAMSSILI, inspired by the same Moroccan themes.

Mohamed Ben Ali R'bati, from Rabat, is generally regarded as one of the first Moroccan painters of the modern period. He travelled to Europe in the early twentieth century and worked in watercolour and oil, painting markets, ports, riders and city views.

His work matters because it reverses the Orientalist gaze: here the country is painted by one of its own sons, with an eye for everyday life rather than spectacle.

Since then, Moroccan painting has grown into a rich modern and contemporary scene.

Today: DAMSSILI, a self-taught oil painter from Taroudant, continues this line: Moroccan subjects, painted by a Moroccan artist, for a worldwide audience.