ETEL ADNAN, 1925–2021

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Adnan was a multilingual author who was best known for her publications and poetic works that span several continents.

As she was brought up by a Greek Christian mother and a Syrian Muslim father, Adnan had already been exposed to several cultures before arriving in Paris in 1949 to continue her studies in Philosophy at the Sorbonne.

Although she started painting at a very early age (she found it was the only way to communicate without a language barrier), it was not until 2010 when the public would discover her paintings which are often influenced by her middle eastern origins.

Right up to her last exhibition in 2021, Adnan still insisted on the importance of the relationship between prose and painting which freed her expression from the restrictions of the language barrier.