Samia Halaby: Seven Decades of Abstract Painting and Political Engagement
In Hyperallergic's 'Beer With a Painter' series, Palestinian-American abstract artist Samia Halaby shares insights from her life and career. Residing in her Tribeca loft since 1976, Halaby was born in Jerusalem in 1936 and became a refugee during the 1948 Nakba, relocating to the United States in 1951. Her artistic journey, which spans more than 70 years, draws inspiration from medieval Arabic art and Palestinian heritage. In 2024, she had her first museum survey at the Broad Art Museum, although Indiana University withdrew its segment, perceived as a move to silence Palestinian voices. Her digital artworks from the 1980s will be showcased in the 2026 Whitney Biennial. Notably, she became Yale's first full-time female associate professor in 1972 and has authored three books. In the interview, she reflects on her influences and current projects.
Key facts
- Samia Halaby is a Palestinian-American abstract painter born in Jerusalem in 1936.
- Her family was displaced during the 1948 Nakba and moved to the US in 1951.
- Her first museum survey exhibition was held in 2024 at the Broad Art Museum of Michigan State University.
- Indiana University canceled its portion of the survey exhibition, seen as suppression of Palestinian voices.
- Her digital paintings from the 1980s are in the 2026 Whitney Biennial and were exhibited at SFMOMA in 2026.
- She became the first full-time female associate professor at the Yale School of Art in 1972.
- She has published three books: 'Liberation Art of Palestine', 'Drawing the Kafr Qasem Massacre', and 'Growing Shapes'.
- Halaby identifies with Marxist philosophy and has organized for Palestinian rights since the 1970s.
Entities
Artists
- Samia Halaby
- James McGarrell
- William Bailey
- Albert Elsen
- Jack Wasserman
- Liubov Popova
- Petrus Christus
Institutions
- Hyperallergic
- Broad Art Museum of Michigan State University
- Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University
- Indiana University
- Yale School of Art
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Whitney Biennial
- University of Cincinnati
- Michigan State University
- Kansas City Art Institute
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
- Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut / Hamburg
Locations
- Jerusalem
- Jaffa
- Beirut
- Lebanon
- United States
- Cincinnati
- East Lansing
- Bloomington
- New Haven
- Tribeca
- Manhattan
- New York
- Kansas City