Artist Database

One of the most influential Sudanese artists of his generation, Rashid Diab’s practice employs a range of painterly techniques to combine imagery of Sudanese heritage with an awareness of international contemporary artistic developments.

After graduating with a BA (Honours) in Painting from the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Khartoum, Diab received a scholarship to the Complutense University of Madrid, where he studied Painting and Etching. In 1991, he completed a PhD on the Philosophy of Sudanese Art in 1991, also at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he spent the next nine years teaching. His vibrant, abstract works and landscapes are forged from rich African and Arab influences. Usually depicting experiences of migrant Sudanese women.

Rashid Diab returned to Khartoum in 1999, making him one of the few painters of Sudanese origin with an established international career to come back home and dedicate his time and success to the people. Diab established the Dara Art Gallery in Khartoum (the first professional gallery of its kind in the city), and in 2003 he created the Rashid Diab Arts Centre, promoting visual arts and cultural awareness in Sudan. For his dedication, Diab was awarded the Order of Civil Merit knighthood by the former King of Spain in 2013.

Diab’s artwork has been exhibited across Europe, the USA, North Africa and the Middle East and can be found in a number of private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Art in Cairo, the National Library of Madrid and the Royal Museum of Fine Art in Amman.

Biography courtesy of Circle Art Gallery.