SAFEYA BINZAGR
1940-2024, Saudi ArabiaSafeya Binzagr was a pioneering Saudi Arabian artist whose meticulous paintings preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of Saudi Arabia—her 1968 work Coffee Shop in Madina Road sold for a record breaking $2.06 million at Sotheby’s in January 2026.
Early Years
Binzagr was born in 1940 in the historic Harat Al-Sham district of old Jeddah into a wealthy family. She relocated to Cairo with her family in 1947, completing her secondary education there in 1957.
Binzagr continued her studies in England, attending finishing school for three years before returning to Egypt for private art lessons. She graduated from Saint Martins School of Art in London in 1976 with a degree in Drawing and Graphics.
Safeya Binzagr Artworks
Safeya Binzagr created oil paintings, watercolours, pastels, drawings, and etchings that document Saudi Arabian social customs, traditional dress, architecture, and daily life with ethnographic precision rooted in Impressionist techniques.
‘Zabun’ (1968)
Often called ‘Safeya’s Mona Lisa’, Zabun depicts a Saudi woman in traditional dress based on a portrait of the artist’s sister. The artwork exemplifies Binzagr’s commitment to recording vanishing customs.
‘Coffee Shop in Madina Road’ (1968)
This painting captures a traditional coffee house scene in Jeddah. It achieved $2.06 million at Sotheby’s Origins II auction in Diriyah in January 2026, surpassing its low estimate by more than 13 times and establishing a new auction record for a Saudi artist.
‘Traditional Attire’ Series
Binzagr produced over 50 watercolours documenting historic Saudi women’s costumes from all regions, displayed alongside mannequins wearing reconstructed garments at Darat Safeya Binzagr.
Publications
Binzagr authored three books: Saudi Arabia: An Artist’s View of the Past, A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage, and Darzah: 200 Years of Sartorial Heritage in Saudi Arabia.
Select Awards and Accolades
- GCC Cultural Heritage Award (2022)
- First Class honours, Order of King Abdulaziz (2017)
- King Abdulaziz & His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity Award (2005)
- Al-Moftaha Award from Prince Khalid al-Faisal (2003)
Safeya Binzagr Exhibitions
Safeya Binzagr was the subject of both solo exhibitions and group exhibitions at important institutions and galleries. Below is a selection of important exhibitions.
To be kept up to date with upcoming exhibitions featuring Safeya Binzagr, follow her on Ocula.
Select Solo Exhibitions
- Origins II, Sotheby’s, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia (2026)
- Permanent collection, Darat Safeya Binzagr, Jeddah (2000–ongoing)
- Aramco private exhibition, Dhahran (1976)
- First solo exhibition by a woman in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah (1970)
- First exhibition, girls’ school, Jeddah (1968)
Select Group Exhibitions
- Misk Art Institute exhibitions, Saudi Arabia
Website
Safeya Binzagr’s museum website can be found at Darat Safeya Binzagr.
Safeya Binzagr FAQs
Who is Safeya Binzagr?
Safeya Binzagr (1940–2024) was a Saudi Arabian artist widely regarded as the ‘mother of art’ in Saudi Arabia. She dedicated her career to preserving Saudi cultural heritage through paintings, research, and the establishment of Darat Safeya Binzagr, a museum housing her life’s work in Jeddah. Her 1968 work Coffee Shop in Madina Road sold for $2.06 million at Sotheby’s in January 2026, setting a record for a Saudi artist at auction.
Where can I see work by Safeya Binzagr?
Safeya Binzagr’s artworks can be viewed at Darat Safeya Binzagr in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a museum the artist founded in 1995 and opened to the public in 2000. The Darat houses her paintings, a library of 5,000 books, and mannequins displaying traditional Saudi costumes.
Where did Safeya Binzagr live?
Safeya Binzagr lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she was born in 1940. She spent periods of her life in Cairo and London for education before returning to Jeddah, where she remained until her death in September 2024.
How is Safeya Binzagr’s name pronounced?
Safeya Binzagr’s name is pronounced ‘Sa-FEE-ya Bin-ZAG-er’, with the emphasis on the second syllable of ‘Safeya’ and the second syllable of ‘Binzagr’.
Where can I buy Safeya Binzagr work?
Safeya Binzagr stopped selling her artworks in 1973, choosing to preserve her collection as a unified body at the Darat. Works by Safeya Binzagr appear at auction houses including Sotheby’s and Bonhams. You can explore sites like Ocula to find galleries and enquire directly about buying art by Safeya Binzagr.
What is Safeya Binzagr’s auction record?
Safeya Binzagr’s auction record is $2.06 million, achieved by Coffee Shop in Madina Road (1968) at Sotheby’s Origins II auction in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on 31 January 2026. This represented a 1,400% increase over her previous record of $133,500 set by Traditional Attire at Bonhams in November 2025. The work came from the collection of Alberto Mestas García, the former Spanish ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and his wife Mercedes Suárez de Tangil Guzmán.
Ocula | 2026
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