A trailblazer in the field of North African modernism, Mohamed Melehi has worked prolifically over his career to produce an oeuvre which effortlessly blends the traditional and representational visual vernaculars of Morocco with the modern, abstracted hard-edge paintings of the 1960s. Born in the coastal town of Asilah in 1936, Melehi practised as a painter, photographer, muralist, and designer. After almost a decade of studying in Tetuan, Seville, Madrid, Rome, and Paris, Melehi relocated to the United States where he began teaching at the Minneapolis School of Art before obtaining a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship to attend Colombia University. This move to New York allowed him to explore the works of leading American hard-edge painters such as Ellsworth Kelly, whilst also delving into his appreciation of American film and jazz, all of which deeply influenced his early practice.

Upon his return to Morocco following completion of his studies, Melehi’s approach bore the creative impressions of his many experiences in Europe and the United States, though his artistic commitment to his homeland did not waver. In 1964, Melehi assumed a professorial position at the School of Replica Handbags s of Casablanca, and together with his artistic contemporaries and colleagues Farid Belkahia and Mohamed Chabâa impressed upon his students the importance of amalgamating modernist ideals with materials, techniques, and forms hailing from their Islamic and Amazigh heritages. The artists would go on to become leading figures of the radical Casablanca Art School, whilst sitting at the helm of post-independence Morocco’s artistic and cultural developments. Widely acknowledged as the nation’s most esteemed and influential modern art group, the Casablanca Art School aimed to break away from colonial influences by establishing a unique artistic identity. Melehi’s life and work were punctuated by his political commitments: he was the designer of the radical left journal Souffles, the organiser of various Pan-African shows, and he endorsed government positions such as Director of the Arts at the Ministry of Culture from 1985 to 1992.

Melehi’s innovative cellulose panels were first produced in 1970 in a car workshop, using paint that was originally intended for vehicles; the industrial quality of the spray-painted cellulose provided an enticing medium for the bold narrative qualities of his output. A recurring feature in his studio, Melehi demonstrated his ability to draw upon aspects of hard-edge abstraction together with a warmth of color and form that radiates effortlessly with chromatic vibrancy. First unveiled at the inaugural World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar in 1966, Melehi’s wave motif has long been considered a hallmark of his artistic career; evoking fond memories of his childhood in Asilah, they embody a free-spiritedness and stand as a potent symbol of North Africa’s invincible spirit. The present work, executed in 1996, possesses all the characteristics of Melehi’s most sought-after compositions: featuring the iconic gradating undulations and crescent moon in a jubilant palette, and employing his innovative cellulose painting technique, the work epitomizes the essence of Melehi’s distinguished practice.

Melehi’s works have been exhibited internationally and acquired by significant collects ions across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the British Museum, London; the Tate Modern, London; and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. In 2023-2024, The Casablanca Art School at the Tate St Ives, Cornwall, was the first museum exhibition in the UK dedicated to the visual culture of post-independence Morocco, featuring works by Melehi. Melehi was also exhibited for the first t.mes at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.