Painter
Larbi Cherkaoui
Rounded letters flooding the surface, a black that burns against acid colour: Larbi Cherkaoui frees Arabic calligraphy from its orthodoxy to make it a universal sign, almost cosmic.
The artist
Career
Born in Marrakech in 1972, Larbi Cherkaoui graduated from the city’s Regional Pedagogical Centre and holds a degree in visual arts. Painter and calligrapher, he has worked for more than thirty years at the meeting point of the Arabic letter and gestural abstraction. He lives and works in Marrakech.
The limits of the letter
Cherkaoui makes his own supports, working canvas, wood and above all henna-dyed skin with meticulous care, before setting down compositions that join fury and finesse. The letter, released from legibility, occupies the space with its curves and enters an optical, abstract field. More recently he has brought digital tools and electronic circuits into his work, a sign of the “inner necessity” that, for the critic Jean-François Clément, pushes him to keep renewing his forms.
Landmarks
- “Spirit of the Letter”, solo exhibition
- 2026 — “Une expérience limite de la lettre”, L’Atelier 21, Casablanca
- Works shown and collected in Paris, London and New York
Collections
- Musée d’art contemporain, Tunis
- Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut
- Museu Municipal de Arqueologia, Silves
- ONA Foundation; Bank Al-Maghrib; Saham Bank
- Royal Mansour and La Mamounia, Marrakech
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In the same spirit
Discover works by Mehdi Qotbi, Youssef Zouhari and Rachid Taleb, browse our calligraphy, or see our paintings on skin.
Available works
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Frequently asked questions
How can one acquire a work by Larbi Cherkaoui?
No work by Larbi Cherkaoui is on offer at the moment. Leave your search request with the gallery (period, format, medium): you will be told first, and in confidence, if a work by the artist is entrusted to us, once its authenticity and provenance have been checked.
What is the price of a work by Larbi Cherkaoui?
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How is the authenticity of the works checked?
No work is offered without first being physically examined by the gallery. For a living artist, authenticity is confirmed directly with the artist; for a deceased artist, a certificate of authenticity and provenance documents are required. Our authenticity protocol
Can the works be delivered?
Yes: within 48 hours in Casablanca and Rabat, three to four days elsewhere in Morocco; international shipping is quoted on request. Payment is made on delivery, by bank transfer or by cheque.
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