Mohamed Melehi

Mohamed Melehi – Untitled, 1970

Born in Asilah in 1936, Mohamed Melehi studied in Tetouan before pursuing his education at the fine arts academies of Seville, Madrid, Rome, and Paris between 1955 and 1961. Nourished by international avant-gardes while remaining deeply anchored in Moroccan visual cultures, his career led him to hold a position as an assistant professor at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in 1962, followed by a move to New York in 1963.

Upon his return to Morocco in 1964, Belkahia appointed him professor at the École des beaux-arts in Casablanca. Alongside Belkahia and Chabâa, he participated in the school's reform and championed a vision of art that was open to public space and popular arts. Committed to the Présence Plastique movement, he took part in the 1969 manifesto-exhibition at Jemaa el-Fna Square, co-founded the journal Intégral in 1971, and co-founded the Asilah Cultural Festival in 1978.

His work is instantly recognizable for its wave-like forms and colorful compositions inspired by Atlantic light, vernacular motifs, and modernist graphic design. As a painter, muralist, designer, and graphic artist, Mohamed Melehi made a lasting contribution to the international recognition of Moroccan modern art through numerous exhibitions and biennales.