[Image]One of the usual observations about paintings in almost any tourist location in the world is that there is a lot of "tourist art" and not much "fine art". This has been true of Fez, where the quality on the streets varies from the good to the indifferent. Now that has changed.

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The Galerie Jamil des Beaux Arts is located just off the Place Seffarine at 11 Sabat Hayadriene. You have to look out for the recessed entrance, but it is worth searching for.

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The work on display covers a wide range of styles from impressionistic oils to a set of old doors decorated with an intriguing pattern of rectangles to great effect. The variations on the more traditional subjects of Medina art - the gates, the alleys the hooded figures in alleyways - are fresh and interesting without ever lapsing into the cliches. While some work does tend towards the "orientalist fantasy" genre - it is understandable as these motifs are what Morocco sells to the world.

[Image]Si Mohammed Jamil

The commercial director of the gallery is Mohammed Jamil, son of the well known artist Hassan Jamil, whose fine work is well represented. That a son should display his father's work is understandable. However, what came as a surprise was that Si Mohammed is an artist in his own right - and a fine one.

The gallery is a welcome addition to the art scene in Fez and we wish them well.

[Image]Contact details: telephone 212 - 035740207
email: galeriejamil-a-p-fes@caramail.com

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news