SUGAR CANE HARVEST
signed and dated I. Efflatoun 80 lower right
pastel on art paper
66 x 82cm; 26 x 32 1/2 in
75cm x 92cm; 29 1/2 x 36 1/4in (framed)

Property from a Private Collection, Jeddah

Inji Efflatoun was born into a wealthy francophone family in Shubra, Cairo. Her career as an artist was heavily intertwined with her career as an activist, with strong anti-imperialist, and feminist beliefs. Efflatoun received a Catholic education throughout her childhood, studying at The Collège du Sacré Coeur and Lyceé. She learned about the Arte et Liberté (“Art and Freedom”) movement when studying under Kamel el-Telmissany, one of the primary representatives of Egyptian surrealism. Efflatoun not only asserted her political stance through her work but also through intense militant activity.

She was one of the first women to study at the University of Cairo in 1945. There, she created the Ligue des jeunes femmes de universities et de instituts (“League of young women in universities and institutes”). The league represented left-wing anti-colonial politics, fighting for gender equality. Along with her artwork, Efflatoun has also published three books calling for the end of the patriarchy and colonialism: 80 Million Women With Us (1948); We, The Egyptian Women (1950); and Peace and Evacuation (1951).

In 1959 Efflatoun was imprisoned for four years for her political activities by the Nasser Regime, an event which greatly impacted her painting style. During this period, her work focused on showing the realities of prison. However, once she left, she came to a more mature style, depicting predominately nature.

Now known as Efflatoun’s “white light period,” these works have vibrant colours, joyful compositions, and delicate brushstrokes. Both Sugar Cane Harvest and Tomato Seller (lot 44) are examples of this newfound delicacy that Efflatoun used after being released from prison. The compositions highlight the natural Egyptian landscape, using a much lighter application technique and medium than her works from previous decades.