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{{Short description|Moroccan painter (1928-1985)}}
'''Ahmed Yacoubi''' was born in ], ] in ] (the exact date of his birth is unknown). The expatriate writer and composer ] met the young Ahmed ben Driss el-Yacoubi in the autumn of ] in Fez, and they became inseparable friends. During the 1950s they traveled throughout Morocco and made voyages to ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. In ] Paul Bowles travelled with Yacoubi to his island, ], located off the southern coast of ].
{{refimprove|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ahmed Yacoubi
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year|1928}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date = December 25, {{death year and age|1985|1928}}
| known_for = Painter, playwright, author, storyteller.
| birth_name = Ahmed ben Driss El Yacoubi
}}
'''Ahmed ben Driss el Yacoubi''' (1928–1985) was a Moroccan ], playwright, author, and ]. He was born in ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ahmed Yacoubi |url=https://www.francis-bacon.com/content/ahmed-yacoubi |website=Francis Bacon |accessdate=June 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ahmed Yacoubi: The Occidental Tourist |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2017/04/verbatim/Occidental-Tourist |website=Brooklyn Rail |accessdate=June 14, 2020 |date=April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bowles |first1=Paul |title=Ahmed Yacoubi as Painter |url=http://www.paulbowles.org/yacoubipainter.html |website=Paul Bowles |accessdate=June 14, 2020}}</ref>


== Career ==
Yacoubi took up art and in 1953, Bowles arranged for his first exhibition at the Librairie des Colonnes on the Boulevard Pasteur in ]. His art was highly acclaimed and 28 works were sold. Further exhibitions were held at the Galerie Clan in ] and the ] in ]. The painter ] arranged for an exhibition of Yacoubi's art in 1957 at the ], England. Other exhibitions were held during the 1960s and 1970s in Tangier and ], Morocco.
Yacoubi met the American composer and writer ] in Fez in 1947, and later in Tangier. Yacoubi then began doing translations for Bowles. Bowles and his wife, novelist and playwright ], encouraged Yacoubi to draw and paint the characters in his own stories after seeing Yacoubi's illustrations of his translations.


Bowles was interested in recording music from different cultures, and invited Yacoubi to translate for him in Spain, Italy, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan. Bowles then transcribed Yacoubi's own stories from ] into English: "The Man and The Woman" (1956), "The Man Who Dreamed of Fish Eating Fish" (1956), and "The Game" (1961). Yacoubi's play ''The Night Before Thinking'' was published in the '']'' in 1961. In 1964, the play was produced by ] at their ] theater and at ]'s ] in ].<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. </ref><ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. </ref> Yacoubi also contributed to set design and construction for productions at La MaMa during the 1970s, including '']'' and ]'s '']'', directed by ] in 1970,<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. </ref> and ]'s ''Jilsa,'' directed by in 1974.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. </ref>
Paul Bowles translated Ahmed Yacoubi's stories from ] into ]: "The Man and The Woman" (1956), "The Man Who Dreamed of Fish Eating Fish" (1956) and "The Game" (1961), and a play "The Night Before Thinking" which was published in the ''Evergreen Review'' in 1960.


The Bowles arranged for Yacoubi's first exhibition of visual work at the ] bookshop on Boulevard Pasteur in ]. The exhibition was highly acclaimed, and 28 pieces were sold. Later exhibitions were held at the Galerie Clan in ], the ] in ] in 1952, the ] in ] in 1957, and elsewhere throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. A wide range of notable collectors began acquiring his drawings and paintings, recognizing his talent and artistic integrity. The ] in New York, the ], and the ] also purchased his works.
In 1953 Yacoubi and Bowles made a voyage to the United States and they stayed at the Connecticut estate of singer ], who seduced the young man into a passionate affair, lavishing him with gifts. This affair was short-lived and Holman soon paid his passage back to Morocco.


In 1952, Bowles invited Yacoubi to his island, ], off the southern coast of ]. While visiting the island, Yacoubi prepared meals for fellow guest ], which she mentions in her memoir, ''Confessions of an Art Addict'' (1997)''.'' Guggenheim purchased several of Yacoubi's drawings.
In the late 1960s Yacoubi moved to the United States and lived in New York City. He died from cancer in New York on December 25 1985, at the age of 57.


Ahmed Yacoubi evolved from what was described as a primitive style to a sophisticated secret technique of layering in oil glazes that produced canvases of great depth and complexity. Although Yacoubi had already begun painting in oil, ] further encouraged his work by painting four small canvases blue and telling him to "Paint!" according to an anecdote by ]. Bacon and Yacoubi painted together and remained friends for the duration of their lives.
⚫ ]

In 1966, Yacoubi moved to the ] and continued to work prolifically, exhibit, and travel. He met and hosted a diversity of international artists, writers, art collectors, and politicians. In New York City, he befriended Peggy Hitchcock and her husband, ], founder of Omen Press. Yacoubi collaborated with friends at the couple's ranch in ] and, through this collaboration, published his cookbook, ''The Alchemist's Cookbook''.

] curated a Yacoubi retrospective at ] in 1989, after his death in 1985. The retrospective included a production of ''The Night Before Thinking'' and an exhibition at La MaMa's nonprofit gallery space, La Galleria, at 47 Great Jones Street.<ref>La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. </ref>

== Personal life ==
Yacoubi lived and travelled with an American writer named Ruth Marthen. In 1959, she gave birth to a daughter, Karima Yacoubi, in ]. Karima died of respiratory problems in London in 2004 at the age of 44. In New York City, ] found Yacoubi a home and studio on ], where he met the artist Carol Cannon in 1976. They lived and painted together for seven years, and continued as friends and collaborators after the relationship ended.

Yacoubi died of lung cancer on December 25, 1985, at the age of 57.

== References ==
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==External links==
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Latest revision as of 13:10, 14 February 2024

Moroccan painter (1928-1985)
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Ahmed Yacoubi
BornAhmed ben Driss El Yacoubi
1928 (1928)
Fez, Morocco
DiedDecember 25, 1985 (aged 56–57)
Known forPainter, playwright, author, storyteller.

Ahmed ben Driss el Yacoubi (1928–1985) was a Moroccan painter, playwright, author, and storyteller. He was born in Fez, Morocco.

Career

Yacoubi met the American composer and writer Paul Bowles in Fez in 1947, and later in Tangier. Yacoubi then began doing translations for Bowles. Bowles and his wife, novelist and playwright Jane Bowles, encouraged Yacoubi to draw and paint the characters in his own stories after seeing Yacoubi's illustrations of his translations.

Bowles was interested in recording music from different cultures, and invited Yacoubi to translate for him in Spain, Italy, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan. Bowles then transcribed Yacoubi's own stories from Maghrebi into English: "The Man and The Woman" (1956), "The Man Who Dreamed of Fish Eating Fish" (1956), and "The Game" (1961). Yacoubi's play The Night Before Thinking was published in the Evergreen Review in 1961. In 1964, the play was produced by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club at their East Village theater and at Lucille Lortel's White Barn Theater in Westport, Connecticut. Yacoubi also contributed to set design and construction for productions at La MaMa during the 1970s, including Arden of Faversham and Alfred Jarry's Ubu, directed by Andrei Serban in 1970, and Oh Taeseok's Jilsa, directed by Duk-Hyung Yoo in 1974.

The Bowles arranged for Yacoubi's first exhibition of visual work at the Gallimard bookshop on Boulevard Pasteur in Tangier. The exhibition was highly acclaimed, and 28 pieces were sold. Later exhibitions were held at the Galerie Clan in Madrid, the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York in 1952, the Hanover Gallery in London in 1957, and elsewhere throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. A wide range of notable collectors began acquiring his drawings and paintings, recognizing his talent and artistic integrity. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Sao Paolo Museum of Modern Art also purchased his works.

In 1952, Bowles invited Yacoubi to his island, Taprobane, off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. While visiting the island, Yacoubi prepared meals for fellow guest Peggy Guggenheim, which she mentions in her memoir, Confessions of an Art Addict (1997). Guggenheim purchased several of Yacoubi's drawings.

Ahmed Yacoubi evolved from what was described as a primitive style to a sophisticated secret technique of layering in oil glazes that produced canvases of great depth and complexity. Although Yacoubi had already begun painting in oil, Francis Bacon further encouraged his work by painting four small canvases blue and telling him to "Paint!" according to an anecdote by Allen Ginsberg. Bacon and Yacoubi painted together and remained friends for the duration of their lives.

In 1966, Yacoubi moved to the United States and continued to work prolifically, exhibit, and travel. He met and hosted a diversity of international artists, writers, art collectors, and politicians. In New York City, he befriended Peggy Hitchcock and her husband, Walter Bowart, founder of Omen Press. Yacoubi collaborated with friends at the couple's ranch in Tucson and, through this collaboration, published his cookbook, The Alchemist's Cookbook.

Ellen Stewart curated a Yacoubi retrospective at La MaMa in 1989, after his death in 1985. The retrospective included a production of The Night Before Thinking and an exhibition at La MaMa's nonprofit gallery space, La Galleria, at 47 Great Jones Street.

Personal life

Yacoubi lived and travelled with an American writer named Ruth Marthen. In 1959, she gave birth to a daughter, Karima Yacoubi, in Tangier. Karima died of respiratory problems in London in 2004 at the age of 44. In New York City, Ellen Stewart found Yacoubi a home and studio on Great Jones Street, where he met the artist Carol Cannon in 1976. They lived and painted together for seven years, and continued as friends and collaborators after the relationship ended.

Yacoubi died of lung cancer on December 25, 1985, at the age of 57.

References

  1. "Ahmed Yacoubi". Francis Bacon. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  2. "Ahmed Yacoubi: The Occidental Tourist". Brooklyn Rail. April 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. Bowles, Paul. "Ahmed Yacoubi as Painter". Paul Bowles. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  4. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: The Night Before Thinking (1974a)". Accessed April 9, 2018.
  5. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: The Night Before Thinking (1974b)". Accessed April 9, 2018.
  6. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Ubu and Arden of Faversham (1970)". Accessed April 9, 2018.
  7. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Jilsa (1974)". Accessed April 9, 2018.
  8. La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Special Event: 'Ahmed Yacoubi: A Retrospective' (1989)". Accessed April 9, 2018.

External links

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