‘Samia Halaby: Eye Witness’ the first comprehensive survey of six decades of work from the landmark abstract artist Samia Halaby takes place at MSU Broad Art Museum. While the opening of the show was supposed to take place on the 20th of September, the reception was cancelled at the last minute without reason. This is the second time the opening of Halaby’s retrospective has been cancelled with the Indiana University’s Eskenazi Museum of Art abruptly cancelling her retrospective, “Centres of Energy,” just before its February 10th opening. We urge people to visit the show as it is the first American retrospective despite her career dating back to the late 1950s. Presented are over 60 works by Halaby. The exhibition showcases paintings, digital work, sculptures, and drawings, including the U.S. debut of ‘Evening Sky in Amman’ (1999) and the renowned ‘Angels and Butterflies’ (2010).
The exhibition explores Halaby’s roots, her connection to Michigan, and her global impact. Her work is part of collections at the Guggenheim Museum (New York and Abu Dhabi), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and many more. Halaby’s artistic journey, influenced by her experiences across the Midwest, the East Coast, and the Arab world, is reflected in her evolving abstract visual language. Studying at Michigan State University from 1959-1960, she intensified her pursuit of abstract painting, later earning a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University, Bloomington. She taught at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and created large-scale works in a nearby Dexter studio. “Eye Witness” marks her return to MSU after graduating six decades ago.
‘Eye Witness’ examines the influence of place on Halaby’s work, highlighting how different locations shaped her approach to abstraction. Her career, marked by shifts from miniature to monumental and monochrome to multicolour, reveals a deep connection between her art and her environment. Halaby’s innovative undergraduate studio art program introduced new artistic approaches across the Midwest. Her career reflects the power of abstract art to merge cultural traditions and inspire optimism. She broke barriers as the first woman to hold the position of associate professor at the Yale School of Art and drew inspiration from Palestinian nature and Islamic geometric abstraction. Influenced by the Russian avant-garde, her work communicates sociopolitical philosophies through vibrant colours, conveying joy and resistance.
The exhibition encourages viewers to slow down and engage deeply with Halaby’s abstract works, fostering a new way of thinking about art. An interactive component invites audiences to express the meaning of a significant place through abstraction. Halaby’s experiences in exile and her cross-cultural influences highlight the impact of the Arab diaspora on American art. The MSU Broad Art Museum exhibition underscores the importance of amplifying underrepresented voices, continuing the museum’s tradition of fostering dialogue around challenging topics.
About Samia Halaby
Samia Halaby, born in Jerusalem in 1936, is a pioneering painter and digital art innovator of her generation. Forced to leave Mandatory Palestine in 1948, her family settled in the United States in 1951. She earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Michigan State University before completing her MFA at Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1963. Halaby’s career in education spanned Michigan, Indiana, Hawaii, and Missouri before her landmark role as the first full-time female faculty member in Yale University’s art department in 1972. Settling in New York in 1976, she continues to paint actively in her Tribeca loft. Halaby ventured into digital art in 1986 using an Amiga computer, coding kinetic paintings with soundtracks. Her writings on abstraction, including ‘Growing Shapes: Aesthetic Insights of an Abstract Painter’ (2017), and her documentation of Palestinian artists in ‘Liberation Art of Palestine’ (2001) underscore her influence. Exhibiting globally since the 1960s, Halaby’s work resides in prestigious collections worldwide, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Location: MSU Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University, USA
Dates: June 29 to December 15, 2024