Madiha Omar

Building the Foundations of Arab Modernism

• Among the first to experiment with Arabic calligraphy in modern art
• Bridged tradition and abstraction without imitating the West
• Quietly shaped a new visual language for Arab identity

Born in Aleppo and raised in Baghdad, Madiha Omar was one of the first Arab artists to explore the expressive potential of Arabic script as visual form. Long before the Hurufiyya movement took shape, she was already treating letters not as symbols to be read, but as abstract elements to be felt. Her training in both traditional Islamic design and Western techniques gave her the tools to build something uniquely her own.

In the 1940s, while living in Washington D.C., she began to exhibit works that layered Arabic calligraphy over modern, abstract compositions. For her, calligraphy was not just a craft or spiritual practice—it was a medium to explore rhythm, identity, and inner voice. In a time when most art followed Western trends, Madiha quietly painted outside the lines, rooted in her culture without being limited by it.

Her work didn’t shout. It questioned. It opened space. It helped shape a visual language that many others would later build on. Today, she remains a foundational but often overlooked figure in the history of Arab modern art.