Mohammed Melehi

Born Asilah, Morocco, 1936

Melehi graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Tétouan, Morocco, 1955. He continued his studies in fine arts in Seville and Madrid, then sculpture in Rome, and finally engraving in Paris. From 1964–96 he was Professor of painting, sculpture and photography at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Casablanca. He has had numerous group and solo exhibitions around the world, including a retrospective at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, 1995. In 1978, along with Mohamed Bannissa, he founded a cultural association and international arts festival in his birthplace, Asilah, that has revitalized the region. Melehi has held prominent positions in the arts in Morocco including Director of Arts for the Ministry of Culture, 1984–92, and cultural consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperations, 1990–1.