Hassan el Glaoui

(Morocco, 1924-2018)

Moroccan Riders

Footnotes

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist;
A private European collection.

Today, Hassan el Glaoui is revered as one of Morocco's finest artistic talents. However, his artistic ambitions were almost extinguished before they were kindled.

The son of His Excellency Hadj Thami El Mezouari El Glaoui, the last Pasha of Marrakesh, Hassan was destined to follow his father into politics. Thami El Glaoui was descended from one of the oldest tribes of the Berber people. He was a distinguished horseman and military strategist, earning him the nickname, the Black Panther. He was not initially supportive of his son's desire to pursue a career in the arts.

However, Hassan's fortunes changed when one of his father's visitors, Winston Churchill, saw one of Hassan's paintings. Churchill was himself an enthusiastic artist, and stressed to Thami El Glaoui that being a painter and being a statesman were not mutually exclusive. Hassan was subsequently allowed to enrol in art school in Paris, where he held his first solo exhibition in 1950. His talent was soon recognised, attracting attention from well known international collectors such as Anson Conger Goodyear, co-founder of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Like his father, Hassan el Glaoui was deeply devoted to his country of birth, and his paintings pay homage to Moroccan traditions. The current painting depicts riders participating in Tbourida (also known as Fantasia performances). During these dramatic performances, traditionally attired horse riders would charge with muskets, firing simultaneously.