The life of Palestinian artist Maliheh Afnan has been celebrated with a special Google Doodle.
Those using the search engine in the Mena region on Monday will see an illustration of the Palestinian-born artist, who died in 2016.
Afnan is widely regarded among the most significant Middle Eastern artists of the 20th century. Her signature “written paintings” explore themes of displacement and exile, as well as conflicts in the region and her cultural heritage.
Born in Haifa, Palestine, on March 24, 1935, Afnan’s family sought refuge in Beirut in 1949. From a young age, she was fascinated with written language and developed her skills in calligraphy. In 1956, she moved to the US to pursue her dream of becoming an artist.
Afnan graduated in 1962 with a Master’s in Fine Art, during which her style of infusing Arabic and Persian script into her work caught the attention of calligraphy artist Mark Tobey, who went on to become her mentor. He helped to facilitate Afnan's first solo exhibition, in 1971, which sparked the beginning of her 50-year career as an artist.
She returned to Beirut in the 1970s, before moving to Paris and eventually London, where she died in 2016 at the age of 81.
Her works can be found in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as numerous museums and galleries across the Middle East and Europe.
The artist is being celebrated on Monday to mark a year to the day since an exhibition celebrating her work, entitled The Symmetry of Fragility, ended at The Institute of Contemporary Arts in Milan.
What are Google Doodles?
Google Doodles feature sporadically throughout the year, transforming Google’s traditional logo into an animation to pay tribute to an important figure or moment in history. The doodles can also mark seasonal or celebratory events, such as International Women's Day.
Click through our gallery below to see other regional Google Doodles:
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A Google Doodle celebrating Egyptian actress Karima Mokhtar's 89th birthday. All images: Google -
Egyptian writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous -
Kuwaiti actor and comedian Abdulhussain Abdulredha's 83rd birthday -
UAE National Day 2022 Google Doodle. -
Ousha Al Suwaidi was a poetess from the United Arab Emirates. -
Prof. Hamed Abdel Fattah Goher was an Egyptian oceanographer, scientist and TV presenter. -
Tunisia's Tawhida Ben Cheikh was a pioneer in women's medicine. -
Google Doodle of Egyptian actor and director Nour El-Sherif honours him on what would have been his 75th birthday. -
Google celebrates Syrian-Egyptian composer and actor Farid Al Atrash with a Google Doodle to mark what would have been his 110th birthday. -
Children's author Notaila Rashed is honoured with a special Google Doodle to mark her 86th birthday. -
Egyptian actress, producer, writer and filmmaker Bahiga Hafez was born 112 years ago, on August 4. -
The Google Doodle for January 20, 2020, celebrates Mufidah Abdul Rahman, Egypt's first female lawyer. -
A Google Doodle on June 10, 2019, celebrates Egyptian author Ahmed Khaled Towfik. -
Google Doodle honours Persian mathematician, poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam on what would have been his 971st birthday. -
Mary Mounib was a renowned actress in the Egyptian cinema scene. Her 114th birthday is marked in a Google Doodle on February 11, 2019. -
Egyptian poet Gamila El Alaily is honoured in a Google Doodle on March 20, 2019. -
Syrian artist Louay Kayali is the subject of Google's doodle on January 20, 2019. -
Egyptian-French singer and actress Dalida is honoured on her birthday by Google Doodle, on January 17, 2019. -
Egyptian actress Hind Rostom is celebrated in a Google Doodle on her 87th birthday, on November 12, 2018. -
Ibn Sina, one of the greatest thinkers of Islam's golden age, is honoured on August 7, 2018. -
A Google Doodle honours Saudi musician Talal Maddah on what would have been his 78th birthday, on August 5, 2018. -
A Google Doodle gif marks Egyptian actor Omar Sharif's birthday on April 10, 2018. -
Egyptian poet Farouk Shousha is honoured by Google on what would have been his 82nd birthday, on January 9, 2018. -
Google celebrates Lebanese singer Sabah's 90th birthday on November 10, 2017. -
Egyptian painter Inji Aflatoun's Google Doodle pays homage to her style of bold brushstrokes. -
Google celebrates the birthday of Algerian painter Mohammed Khadda, who was born on March 14, 1930. -
Lebanese singer-songwriter Melham Barakat is honoured by Google on his birthday.
