Moroccan Painter.

The arrival of Chaïbia in the art world is quite a legend: several signs predestined the young woman. In a zaouia, a Muslim sanctuary, a blind and deaf woman told her that she had a hidden talent. One night, Chaïbia dreamt that voices urged her to pick up a canvas and paintbrush. The next day, encouraged by her artist son, she began painting with her fingers on cardboard and wood.

Married at the age of 13, Chaïbia was a widowed mother by 15. To make a living, she cleaned wool. She never went to school and was illiterate for all of her life. Her son had a painting studio. One day, the painter Ahmed Cherkaoui (1934–1967), accompanied by the curator and critic Pierre Gaudibert, visited the studio, where they di...