Mohamed Melehi's 1963 painting 84 Quadrettini was highly symbolic as it marked his emergence in the Hard Edge art movement in New York. The painting recalls the lit windows of New York City through its squares, influenced by both Ellsworth Kelly and Melehi's experience in the vibrant city. Melehi's time in New York exposed him to new influences like Frank Stella but he remained faithful to his Moroccan and Islamic roots which are evident in the geometric patterns of the work. 84 Quadrettini demonstrates Melehi's fusion of his cultural heritage with the new artistic styles he encountered in the United States in the 1960s.

1. SHOWCASE
The Loft Gallery’sBenjaminDelpondeVauxdiscusses a seminal work by Mohamed Melehi,
which recalls the Moroccan artist’s contact with the American Hard Edge movement.
The 1963 painting, 84 Quadrettini is a
highly symbolic work in Mohamed Melehi’s career.
The year in which it was made is one of great artis-
tic importance as it marked the emergence of the
Hard Edge movement and saw the artist partici-
pateingroupshowsatNewYork’sMoMAaswellas
the Washington Gallery of Modern Art with artists
such as Piet Mondrian, Jean Arp and Frank Stella.
In 1963, Melehi was 27 years old and in New York
pursuing studies at Columbia University through a
grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
By this time, Melehi had already realised stylised
works, identifying himself with (and being influ-
enced by) Minimalist painters Barnett Newman
and Ellsworth Kelly. At this point however, a new
element permeated Melehi’s work: NewYork, with
its incomparable skyline, night light and vibrancy.
The Big Apple is the city that never sleeps, and
this is evident in the squares within 84 Quadrettini,
which remind us of those painted by Kelly, but also
recall lit windows in the dark.
Melehi studied in Italy, France and Spain, but
his move to the USA felt like a revelation; he con-
sidered America a free world of infinite expression.
From a cultural standpoint, New York offered ac-
cess to knowledge and was where Melehi met key
figures such as Stella and Tom Wesselmann. Yet,
despite new acquaintances and new surround-
ings, he remained faithful to his Arab, Islamic and
African origins: the geometry in his work evokes
the Islamic spirit – after all, Islamic art and geome-
try are exceedingly interlinked. His signature waves
both recall his native coastal town of Asilah and are
representative of rhythm, eternity and the female
form. Where once he felt like a foreigner in Europe,
in the USA he was inspired by an extraordinary
Afro-American culture. In addition to retaining his
roots and absorbing his environment, the 1960s
were when Melehi discovered cybernetics and
its fascinating consequences on mankind, which
came to feature in his work. America had invented
the IBM card or punch card – a paper that com-
prised commands or data for automated machin-
ery and data processing applications that featured
square holes.
Melehi remains a prolific painter, but his current
paintingsdifferfromthoseofthe1960s.MoulimEl-
Aroussi, a friend of the artist’s and co-curator of Le
Maroc Contemporain, the recent exhibition at the
Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, says Melehi has
always been torn between Modern and Contem-
porary art. Nonetheless, his work is instantly identi-
fiable: shape is clearly defined by colours and con-
tours, which is typical of Hard Edge. There are no
splashes or scratches, Melehi’s works are figurative
and retain Islamic and African themes.
OF A
TIME, PLACE
AND SPACE
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Facing page:
Mohamed Melehi. 84
Quadrettini. 1963. Acrylic
on canvas. 120 x 100 cm.
Image courtesy Loft Art
Gallery, Casablanca.