Algeria Baya FDC

Algeria FDC
Name: Works of Art From The National Meusums (Baya)
Date of Issue: 08 June 2008

Baya Mahieddine was born on December 12th, 1931 at Bordj el Kiffan in Algiers. Orphan whe she was five, Baya of her true name Fatma Haddad, had never gone to school and was brought up by her grandmother in the biggest misery. When Baya was ten years old, she was adopted by a French young lady named Elizabeth Benhoura. Baya considered this lady as her adoptive mother and went to live with her in Algiers. There, Elizabeth provided her with paper, pencils and gouache.

The sculptor Jean Perrissac, a friend of Baya's adoptive mother attracted to the works of the girl, shown them to Aimé Maeght when he was in Algiers. This last one who decided immediately to organise an exhibition of these works in Paris. During the year 1947, it was Baya's first exhibition and it was preceded by a foreword of André Breton who wondered how a child had been able to discover all the secrets that Henri Matisse himself made 60 years to discover.

Georges Braque in his turn was also amazed by all Baya's works characterized by pure drawings and captivating colours.

During the year 1948, Baya had met Pablo Picasso at Vallauris. And in 1953, she got married to "El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine", an Andalusian music teacher. Since her marriage, Baya lived in Blida.

For the period of the freeing war, Baya gave up all her artistic activities. After the recovering of the independence, in 1963, she organized a big exhibition in the museum of the beautiful arts, situated in Algiers.

However, after several exhibitions in Algeria and in different countries of the world she was awarded by many important persons as the Algerian President Chadli Benjdid in 1987 and the French President François Mitterrand in 1982 as well as the Secretary General of the UNESCO...

At present, Baya's works are in public collections in various museums through the world.

Baya passed away on November 9th, 1998 after she had left more than 50 years of artistic selected works.

Comment: Absolutely! Baya Mahieddine was a self-taught talent, Pablo Picasso had met her when she was only 17 years old. Who could deserve it??