From April 2 to August 31, Hassan El Glaoui fans will have a rare opportunity to view portraits that have not been seen before at Salt of My Earth, an exhibition at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat. Salt of My Earth is curated by El Glaoui’s daughter, Touria El Glaoui,
The title of the exhibition is a reference to the Glaoui family’s involvement in the salt trade when it was a historically valuable commodity. El Glaoui was the son of Marrakech’s last Pasha, Thami El Glaoui, a powerful warlord referred to as Lord of the Atlas or the Black Panther of Morocco. Originally, El Galoui was discouraged to pursue painting and pursue politics, however when Winston Churchill, a close friend of the Pasha’s recognized El Glaoui’s talent in sketches lying around his father’s office, the senior El Glaoui was convinced. As a result, the iconic fantasia horse painter was sent to study at Ecole des Beaux – Arts and spent 15 years in Paris. Some of these symbolic colorful sketches can be seen at the Salt of My Earth exhibition in Rabat.
Other highly anticipated artworks on display are the insightful portraits of Hassan El Glaoui’s family: Christine Legendre, a former French Givenchy model, and the three daughters they had together. Similar to their father, Glaoui’s daughters were discouraged from pursuing work in the art world, however, daughter Ghizan El Glaou was inspired by her artistic upbringing. She follows a golden method of painting – her portraits look like mosaics and change colors and energies depending on the time of the day. The paintings focus on El Glaoui’s wife, his muse.