Abstract Composition

A major 1950s abstraction by Fahrelnissa Zeid (1901–1991), the Ottoman-born princess who became one of the 20th century's most original painters. Made during her years in Paris, these canvases — often several metres tall — are filled with hundreds of polygonal shards of pure colour, stitched together by fine black lines in a technique that draws simultaneously on Islamic arabesque, Byzantine mosaic, and European geometric abstraction. The composition shimmers like stained glass, and the works are central to Istanbul Modern's permanent collection as emblems of Turkish female modernism.

Exhibition Venue

Istanbul Modern

Istanbul, Türkiye