Laila Shawa
Palestine, b.1940
A painter, educator, and jewelry designer, Leila Shawa’s first art training was at the Leonardo da Vinci School of Art, in Cairo (1957-1958), after which she went to Rome and attended Accademia di Belle Arte (1958-1964) and Accademia St. Giaccomo (1960-1964). In 1960/62/64 she attended summer courses at Oscar Kokotchka School of Seeing in Salzburg, working under the Austrian expressionist artist. Based in London since 1987, her work carries controversial gender and political messages in innovative and bold techniques, swinging between expressionism, abstraction and Pop art.
