Sidi El Karchi's 'Blue Widow' Honors His Mother in Maastricht Column

In the latest issue of Museumtijdschrift (nr 5 • 2026), columnist Pauline Broekema profiles Sidi El Karchi's painting 'Blue Widow, portret van Azza El Karchi' (2002), a tribute to his late mother. The work, acquired by the Bonnefanten in Maastricht shortly after El Karchi left art school, depicts his mother with arms crossed, embodying a self-acceptance predating the body positivity movement. El Karchi cites James McNeill Whistler's 'Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1' (1871) in its composition and muted palette. The painting serves as a monument to Azza El Karchi, who died in 2002. Born in a village in southern Morocco, she was married off at sixteen and moved to Limburg, where a Moroccan miner awaited. She lived in the Thienbunder neighborhood of Sittard, where she was known as the first woman to take driving lessons. El Karchi recalls his mother's pride in her body, her skill in making couscous, and a fortune teller's prediction that her son would become a painter. Bonnefanten curator Paula van den Bosch praised the work's authenticity and clarity. The column includes an audio version read by Broekema.