Margo Veillon: An Overview of her Oeuvre
In the course of her long career as an artist, Margo Veillon experimented with a wide variety of art forms, styles and media - this is a quick overview of her work.
Margo Drawing Cassandra (1907-2003) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
Margo Veillon (1908-2003): An artist and her work
Veillon was an Austrian-Swiss artist who lived and worked in Cairo.
Her oeuvre was created over the course of eight decades, and spans many different art forms: painting, drawing, printing, sculpture, etc...
Here we trace the development of Veillon as an artist.
Cluttered bathroom (1929) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
Beginnings
Margo Veillon studied fine art in Paris between 1929 and 1930. The early surviving sketches show the influence of cubism and surrealism on her work.
Gazoline cart (1952) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
Eyes on Egypt
Veillon soon left cubism behind, as she developed her own personal style characterized by dynamic lines, bold contrasts, and vibrant colors.
Upon her return to Cairo in 1930, she also found her true calling as a keen observer of Egypt, and of its people.
Peasant women (1907-2003) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
The common people
Her sketchbooks show Veillon's never-ending fascination with life around her: Time and again, she depicts people and animals in motion, as they go about their daily lives.
Woman with the Red Hat (1907-2003) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
The portraits
Not only the common people, but also her friends and acquaintances were captured by the artist.
While some portraits remain somewhat traditional, most of her single-sitter works are true character studies.
Surrealist flowers (1973) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
Experiments in style
During the 1970s, Veillon experimented with abstraction.
Many of ther works of this period are compositions that draw on vivid vegetal forms, while retaining the bold contrasts and colors of her earlier work.
Carrying goats over the river (1955) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
Experiments with media
In addition to painting and drawing, Mago Veillon also experimented with other media.
She produced several series of linocuts, lithographs and etchings; she made mosaics, and portrait busts in clay; she even invented her own medium, 'painting' with sand of different colors.
Journey's Rest (1984) by Veillon, MargoThe American University of Cairo - Libraries and Learning Technologies
An artist's legacy at AUC
The oeuvre of Margo Veillon is preserved in museums and private collections in Egypt and abroad.
The largest collection of her works is held at the American University of Cairo. Interested? Please contact AUC Libraries: rbscl-ref@aucegypt.edu.
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