Princess Wijdan Ali, Jordanian b.1939-
Untitled (riders in the desert), c. 1980s;
oil on canvas,...

Princess Wijdan Ali, Jordanian b.1939-

Untitled (riders in the desert), c. 1980s;

oil on canvas, signed lower right 

63 x 82cm. 

Note:

Princess Wijdan Ali, born in 1939 in Baghdad, Iraq, is a distinguished Jordanian painter, art historian, curator, and cultural diplomat. Born Wijdan bint Fawwaz Al-Hashemi, she is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and holds the title of Sharifa, signifying noble lineage. Raised in Amman, she earned her BA in Art History from the Beirut College for Women (now the Lebanese American University) in 1961, followed by an MA and PhD in Islamic Art and Archaeology from SOAS, University of London, completed in 1993.

Beginning her painting career in 1964, Princess Wijdan developed a distinctive style that fuses abstract expressionism with traditional Arabic calligraphy. Her work is deeply spiritual and frequently explores themes of tragedy within the Islamic and Arab worlds.

An influential figure in Jordan’s cultural development, she founded the Royal Society of Fine Arts in 1979 and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in 1980. In 2001, she also established and led the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan. She made history as the first woman in Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1962 and later served as ambassador to Italy, represented Jordan at the United Nations, and worked with the UNDP in Amman. Her diplomatic career concluded after her 1966 marriage to Prince Ali bin Nayef.

A prolific writer and educator, Wijdan has published widely in Arabic and English on Islamic and contemporary art, and has lectured at universities throughout the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Her art is held in major international collections, including the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the National Art Gallery in Pakistan.