This doodle celebrates the life and work of Lebanese-American writer and artist Etel Adnan. She was best known for her diverse and interdisciplinary work, which spanned both the literary and artistic worlds. On this day in 1955, she held her first solo exhibition in San Rafael, California.
Adnan was the daughter of a Greek mother and a Turkish father who had immigrated to Lebanon. Adnan’s upbringing was diverse: she spoke Greek and Turkish in her home, attended a French school, and lived in a primarily Arabic-speaking country.
At the age of 23, she moved to France to study philosophy and art at the University of Paris, then moved to the United States and continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. She eventually returned to Lebanon, where she worked as a journalist and editor at Al Safa and L’Orient le Jour newspapers, where she helped create sections covering Lebanese and Middle Eastern culture.
Over time, Adnan delved deeper into the art world and gained widespread acclaim for his vivid abstract paintings inspired by the landscapes of California and Lebanon. Today, her art can be seen in museums and galleries around the world, from Paris to Beirut, Hong Kong and London.
Her writings as a novelist and poet addressed feminism, identity, memory, and the human condition. These writings, which represented her numerous identities and experiences, cut across languages, countries, and continents. Moonshots (1966), Sitt Marie Rose (1978), Paris, When It’s Naked (1993), Master of the Eclipse (2009), and other books and poetry collections are among the works she has written.
Etel Adnan’s contributions to the arts have earned her various awards and awards, including the 2013 Lambda Literary Award, the 2014 French Order of Arts and Letters, and the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition. She leaves behind a rich legacy of her artistic and literary achievements that continues to captivate and inspire audiences today.
