Rabat – Long before Moroccan art gained recognition on the modern art scene, Mohammed Ben Ali Rbati was capturing the country’s people, places, and everyday life through his paintings.
With watercolors, precise lines, and vivid scenes of everyday life, he helped establish an early tradition of Moroccan figurative painting.
Today, his works, including, “Scène de Fête,” “Cortège de la mariée,” “Procession au pied des Oudayas,” and “Moussem de Sidi Bouarrakia” continue to offer a colorful window into Morocco’s past.
Born in Rabat in 1861 and later based in Tangier, Rbati is considered one of the earliest modern Moroccan painters.
He is also widely associated with the beginnings of figurative painting in Morocco, a style that focused on representing people, places, and scenes from everyday life.
Rbati’s artistic journey was also unusual. He had no formal training in art, and painting was initially something he practiced alongside his other professions.
His encounter with European artists in Tangier became a turning point in his artistic development.
In 1903, he worked as a cook for Irish painter Sir John Lavery, who recognized his talent and encouraged him to pursue painting more seriously.
Rather than focusing on the decorative traditions that had long shaped Moroccan visual culture, Rbati turned his attention to the people and places around him.
His paintings captured Tangier’s Kasbah, streets, markets, celebrations, and social gatherings, offering a vivid record of Moroccan life at the turn of the 20th century.
Rbati worked mainly with watercolor on paper rather than traditional canvas. His paintings often depict groups dressed in traditional Moroccan clothing, gathered around musicians, snake charmers, and storytellers, or taking part in weddings and festive celebrations.
His approach was distinctive. Rather than focusing exclusively on individual portraits, he often presented entire scenes, allowing the viewer to observe the movement and atmosphere of a place.
Men and women appear within larger compositions, surrounded by architectural details, traditional clothing, geometric patterns, and scenes of everyday life in Moroccan communities.
That encouragement helped transform Rbati’s private artistic practice into a professional career.
In 1916, he exhibited his work at the Goupil Gallery in London, the first solo exhibition by a Moroccan modernist artist.
He later showcased his work in Marseille and Rabat, further establishing his position in the early history of modern Moroccan art.
His watercolors offer glimpses into Moroccan society at a time when photography and other forms of visual documentation were not as widely accessible.
His work also reflects the cultural crossroads that was Tangier during his lifetime.
The city attracted artists and travelers from different parts of Europe and beyond, exposing Rbati to artistic ideas while he remained deeply connected to Moroccan subjects and traditions.
