Fahrelnissa Zeid Fahrelnissa Zeid (1901–1991) fused modern European approaches to abstract art with Byzantine, Islamic and Persian influences to create a unique visual vocabulary. It is astonishing that an artist of such force and originality should have been practically forgotten, particularly in London and Paris where she was a prominent figure in the art scene for decades. She married Prince Zeid, the ambassador of Iraq in Ankara, and became a princess. In 1942, she joined the Group D and took part in their exhibitions. After her first solo exhibition in 1944 in her home in Maçka, Zeid had her works exhibited in Paris, London, New York, Brussels, and other cities where the couple lived after World War II. Known for her exuberant, powerful compositions, Zeid’s unique visual language is so vivid and rich that it cannot be reduced to a single style. She also took a studio in Paris, where she made friends with writer Gertrude Stein and artists Serge Poliakoff and Sonia Delaunay.
