Born in 1931, Baya, whose real name is Fatma Haddad, is an Algerian painter who lived during the colonial period. When she was just 16 years old, the young orphan girl made her artistic ancestry through the encouragement of those around her. In particular, his grandmother and Marguerite Caminat. As a reminder, the latter is the sister of the owner for whom Baya and her grandmother work.
Indeed, after the death of the parents of the Algerian artist, the grandmother of Fatma Haddad brought back with her the two children of her deceased daughter. They thus settle in their uncle’s house. As a result, our protagonist worked hard in the vegetable farms of the surrounding settlers.
However, the young worker saw her destiny change suddenly. She who had the great opportunity of her life by rubbing shoulders with the Farges family. Indeed, Baya’s talent caught the attention of Marguerite Caminat, who was also an artist. After her grandmother’s agreement, Marguerite took Baya home to Algiers to perform services in an apartment in 1943.
And this is how the young Algerian went from the stage of child’s drawing to the stage of painter. A servant in the morning, Baya devotes herself to art in the afternoon: she creates figures and animals in clay and gouaches. Far from the orientalism that reigned at that time, Baya knew how to differentiate itself by asserting its Arab and Kabyle identity. Something that amazed Aimé Maeght. In 1947, he organized a major exhibition for him which was a resounding success.
Baya revolutionized Algerian art
“I paint, now it’s up to you to feel”! In fact, Baya has always rejected the idea of expressing anything through her art. Although his creations often represent his mother, the artist has left the freedom of choice to his admirers to determine what she wants to express. Indeed, the success of his first exhibition in 1947 opened several doors for him.
Baya thus obtains a studio next to that of Picasso. Moreover, he even came to look at the creations of the talented Algerian. In 1953, Baya returned to Algeria and married a musician 30 years her senior. For a decade Fatma Haddad devoted herself to her family life after having 6 children.
After independence Baya decided to make a comeback to the artistic world, also influenced by the cultural effervescence that Algeria experienced. In 1963, the mother of 6-year-old children took part in the major exhibition organized by the National Museum of Fine Arts. Happy to be back, Baya continued to paint and sculpt until her death in 1998.
