Mohammed ben Ali R'bati

Mohammed ben Ali R'bati (Arabic: محمد بن علي الرباطي; 1861–1939), also known as Ben Ali Rabbati,[1] was one of the earliest Moroccan painters.[2][3][4] As his surname suggests, Ribati was born in Rabat in 1861.[4] However, he was based in Tangier, where he had access to materials for watercolors.[2] Though he had no formal training, he was supported by European artists.

Mohammed ben Ali R'bati
محمد بن علي الرباطي
R'bati in his workshop, c. 1922
Born1861 (1861)
Rabat, Morocco
Died1939(1939-00-00) (aged 77–78)
Tangier, Morocco
NationalityMorocco
Known forWatercolor painting
Festival Scene by Muhammad Ben Ali Ribati.

In 1903, Ribati became a cook for the Irish painter Sir John Lavery, who first settled in Morocco in 1890.[4] Lavery noticed that Ribati was a gifted watercolor painter.[2]

Exhibitions

Ribati's first exhibition was at the Goupil Gallery in London in 1916.[2] His second exhibition was in Marseille, France, in 1919, and his third was at the Mamounia hotel in Marrakesh in 1922.[2]

Style

Ribati preferred watercolor on paper as a medium over oil on canvas.[2] He frequently painted Tangier, its qasba, and its inhabitants. He painted simplified human figures, and often painted a large, colorful scene with several people.[2] He always signed his paintings in Arabic.[2]

References
  1. Lavery, John (1940-03-01). "Finishing Touches". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  2. Powers, Holiday. "محمد بن علي الرباطي". Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Art and the Arab World. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  3. "محمد بن علي الرباطي .. أول رسام على الطريقة الأوروبية". مغرس. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  4. "نوائب الزمان ترمي بمنزل التشكيلي الرباطي في غياهب النسيان". Hespress (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-10-19.
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