This Week’s Six Pillars Radio Show – Samia Halaby Interview

An interview with Palestinian artist, scholar and art historian Samia Halaby (b. 1936). Halaby has contributed to the practise of abstraction in Arab art and the historical archiving of Palestinian art itself. Born in Jerusalem Halaby uses both acrylic, oil paints and even computers for her works, which are often large in size and influenced by the nature of Palestine. Recorded at Art Dubai in UAE.

Halaby lives in New York and was raised in Yafa until her family immigrated to Lebanon due to the occupation of Palestine in 1948. In 1951 she moved to the United States where she continues to live and work (pictured in her studio). She has taught art extensively at U.S. universities, including the Yale School of Art where she became the first ever female full time professor. Not just through her art, but also notably in her writing and curating, Halaby has actively advocated the rights of Palestinians and raised global awareness about their situation. Halaby has held many solo exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and her paintings are held in several museum collections, including the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, The British Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Detroit Institute of Art. Broadcasts 19:30 BST, repeats Sunday 06:30am BST.