Abdelkrim GHATTAS

Born in Casablanca in 1945, Abdelkrim Ghattas belongs to the first generation of Moroccan artists trained at the École des beaux-arts in Casablanca, from which he graduated in 1968 before moving to Paris to pursue his education. Upon his return to Morocco in 1972, he was appointed professor at the École des beaux-arts in Casablanca by Farid Belkahia, shortly before the end of Belkahia's tenure as director in 1974. Highly active on the Moroccan art scene, Abdelkrim Ghattas joined the Moroccan Association of Plastic Arts (AMAP) and participated in the 1974 Baghdad Biennale, as well as the Asilah Cultural Festival starting in 1978. He also regularly collaborated on the graphic design of the journal Intégral.

Abdellah Ghattas developed a body of work where abstraction and figuration engage in a dialogue around the themes of the sea, the horizon, and memory. Deeply influenced by Casablanca, his painting style is sensitive to light, geometry, and rhythms inspired by Moroccan culture. Recognized for the poetry of his brushwork and his mastery of color, he has also created several monumental frescoes in Asilah, Agadir, Casablanca, and Salé.