ArtDayME: Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, best known as the pioneer of the Kingdom’s fine art movement, died on Thursday at 84, According to Arab News.

Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourned her death in an obituary post on X saying: “With great sadness and sorrow, Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourns the esteemed professor Safeya Binzagr, who passed away today Sept. 12, 2024. Prayers will be held for her tomorrow, immediately after Friday prayers, at Al-Jafali Mosque, and her body will be buried in the cemetery of Umna Hawwa.”

Born in 1940, Binzagr forged a path of opportunities for many artists to follow. 

Along with her friend, Mounirah Mosly, she was one of two female artists to hold the first art exhibition in the Kingdom in 1968.

Born in Jeddah, Binzagr began her education in Cairo, completed high school education, and spent three years at a finishing school in England. In 1976 she obtained a diploma in art and design at Central Saint Martins, London.

In 1964 in Jeddah, Binzagr witnessed the rapid changes impacting all aspects of life, in clothes, customs and habits. She began her artistic journey inspired to record social history, traditions and folklore.

Her first exhibition was in 1968. Binzagr authored the books “Saudi Arabia: An Artist’s View of the Past” and “A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage.”

In 1995, she established “Darat Safeya Binzagr,” a cultural center containing her artwork, cultural collection, studio, and an art and literature library.

She was honored in 2017 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz for her contribution to Saudi art and culture with the King Abdulaziz Medal-First Class.