Étienne Dinet: the French painter who settled in Bou Saâda

Étienne Dinet (1861–1929)

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

Étienne Dinet was born in Paris in 1861 and first visited Algeria in 1884. He settled in the oasis town of Bou Saâda, learned Arabic, and spent most of his life there. In 1913 he converted to Islam and took the name Nasreddine; he died in Paris in 1929 and was buried in Bou Saâda, as he had wished.

Unlike many Orientalists who passed through briefly, Dinet painted the daily life of the oasis, children, bathers, and religious scenes, from long familiarity. With Sliman ben Ibrahim he also wrote a French-language biography of the Prophet Muhammad.

His luminous palette and respect for his subjects make him a favourite of collectors today.

Today: That attention to ordinary moments is also at the heart of DAMSSILI's Trust, an old man resting beside his camel outside the walls of Taroudant.