Ahmed Cherkaoui

The recorded working language is Arabic and Berber. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are abstract. Roger Bissière is recorded as an influence. Residence is recorded at Casablanca and Paris. Work by Ahmed Cherkaoui is recorded in the collections of Vanderbilt Museum of Art, Musée d'art moderne de Paris and Musée National d'Art Moderne.

• Name — Ahmed Cherkaoui • Born — 2 October 1934 • Birthplace — Boujad, Morocco • Died — 17 August 1967 • Place of death — Casablanca, Morocco • Education — École des métiers d'art, Paris; École des Beaux-Arts, Paris; School of Fine Arts, Warsaw • Known for — Abstract painting • Movement — Moroccan modernism • Style — Abstract art incorporating traditional Moroccan motifs • Patrons — UNESCO (research support)

Born in Boujad, Cherkaoui studied at the École des métiers d'art and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, winning a scholarship in 1961 to the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

He was influenced by Western artists including Paul Klee, Roger Bissière, and Henri Matisse and by traditional Moroccan art which he studied with support from UNESCO. He began exhibiting in 1959. His style was abstract but used motifs from Moroccan tattoos, pottery, leatherwork, weaving, ornaments, and architecture. Until 1965 his paintings had combinations of dark colours; from that point on his style was more light and spacious. From 1966 he applied his style to leather as a medium.