Image : Inji Efflatoun, 'Al 'anbar [la cellule], 1959-1963, huile sur celotex, 69.8 x 49.7 cm, collection du ministère de la Culture égyptien.
16 Sep 2026
Inji Efflatoun (1924–1989): The Transnational Trajectory of an Egyptian Artist and Communist
Paris, France
The École des modernités
A politically committed painter, the Egyptian artist Inji Efflatoun (1924–1989) was a leading figure in some of the most pressing struggles of the twentieth century: anti-colonial resistance, the advancement of women’s rights, social equality, and world peace.
This lecture sheds light on her involvement in international communist networks that shaped both her political life and her artistic career—from her early involvement with the surrealist and anti-fascist Art and Liberty group, to her exhibitions across the Eastern Bloc, including her painted expressions of transnational and Third Worldist solidarity.
A multilingual woman from the elite, both a socialite and a radical, she was able to bridge worlds that were sometimes deeply opposed, placing herself at the heart of a network of left-wing artists who turned figuyrative painting into a form of political activism.
Nadine Atallah holds a PhD from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her research, which has received several awards, explores the political dimensions of art in the Arab world through the lenses of nationalism and feminism. She has taught art history at the École Européenne Supérieure d’Art de Bretagne and at Université Paris 1. Currently, she is a researcher specialising in the Middle East and North Africa at the French National Museum of Modern Art - Centre Pompidou. She is preparing an exhibition and a book dedicated to Inji Efflatoun, and will soon publish her doctoral dissertation, which focuses on women artists and Egyptian modernism. Nadine Atallah has also curated several contemporary art exhibitions.
Portrait of Nadine Atallah. All rights reserved.
A lecture by Nadine Atallah, lecturer and researcher, PhD holder from the University of Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Wednesday 16 Septembre 2026 6:30pm
At Giacometti Lab (9 rue Victor Schœlcher, Paris XIV) et live on Youtube
Lecture in French
Free of charge, upon registration.