Woman with Pigeons
Ismaïl Samsom was born on November 8, 1934 in the Casbah of Algiers in an environment favorable to art. After having had excellent primary education, he was admitted to the Bugeaud high school, today Emir Abdelkader, which, at the time, received the children of rich settlers. The privileged among the Algerians who were admitted were those who had distinguished themselves during the primary school period. That is to say the first prizes. But Samsom felt foreign and uprooted in this environment. He soon dropped out of high school and became a schoolteacher for a time.
Then comes the call from abroad. He began to undertake a long journey which took him first to Tunisia then to Europe. Then he crossed the Atlantic to visit Venezuela, Colombia, Martinique, Jamaica, etc. A self-taught painter, he has always been inspired by popular traditions. But the War of National Liberation had marked him so well that we find in his paintings the imprint of his deep wound. At that time, the country had started the countdown to its liberation.
The destiny of Algeria was his. During his commitment, he received a bullet in 1957 in Paris, which left him forever in a wheelchair. Ismaïl Samsom was the first artist to be awarded an award by the Festival Committee of the city of Algiers in 1963. His works are among the first Algerian paintings acquired by the National Museum of Fine Arts of Algiers after independence.
Some of his paintings can be found in Egypt, Morocco, France and Cuba. He has participated in several group exhibitions in Europe and the Middle East. He moved to Switzerland in 1981, and in 1983, 1985 and 1987, he exhibited at the gallery of the El Aurassi hotel. Died on July 5, 1988 following a long illness, his name was given to the gallery of the Théâtre de Verdure in Algiers.
Then comes the call from abroad. He began to undertake a long journey which took him first to Tunisia then to Europe. Then he crossed the Atlantic to visit Venezuela, Colombia, Martinique, Jamaica, etc. A self-taught painter, he has always been inspired by popular traditions. But the War of National Liberation had marked him so well that we find in his paintings the imprint of his deep wound. At that time, the country had started the countdown to its liberation.
The destiny of Algeria was his. During his commitment, he received a bullet in 1957 in Paris, which left him forever in a wheelchair. Ismaïl Samsom was the first artist to be awarded an award by the Festival Committee of the city of Algiers in 1963. His works are among the first Algerian paintings acquired by the National Museum of Fine Arts of Algiers after independence.
Some of his paintings can be found in Egypt, Morocco, France and Cuba. He has participated in several group exhibitions in Europe and the Middle East. He moved to Switzerland in 1981, and in 1983, 1985 and 1987, he exhibited at the gallery of the El Aurassi hotel. Died on July 5, 1988 following a long illness, his name was given to the gallery of the Théâtre de Verdure in Algiers.