Founder and director of the International Fair of Contemporary African Art 1-54, Touria El Glaoui and Franco-Moroccan painter and President of the Foundation of Museums of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mehdi Qotbi have been honoured by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in recognition of their efforts and their contributions to the arts on a global scale.
The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts was named in 1964 to honour the memory of President John F. Kennedy. Along with its artistic affiliates the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington National Opera, the Kennedy Center makes world-class art accessible to all by bringing over 2,200 performances to two million visitors each year.
The International Committee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been awarded gold medals every year since 2005 in recognition of extraordinary achievement in the arts at its international summit. The Committee spotlights awe-inspiring people, whose achievements have created, supported and championed the world’s greatest arts and artists.
Other recipients of the 2023 Recipients of the Gold Medal in the Arts for this year are Bachir Attar, the Master Musicians of Jajouka; Fadila El Gadi, Moroccan fashion designer and founder of the Foundation for the Art of Embroidery and Sewing; and Hoba Hoba Spirit, a musical fusion band.
“This year’s winners not only represent many facets of Morocco’s vibrant history and culture but also reflect how we can use art as a tool for cultural diplomacy and create an international community,” Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said.
Touria El Glaoui
Franco-Moroccan-born and raised, Touria El Glaoui completed her studies in New York before starting a career as a wealth management consultant in the banking sector. She moved to London after working in the industry for ten years, where she started the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in 2013. Since then, she has started the fair in New York (2015), Marrakech (2018), and Paris (2021). Today, 1-54 is a world-leading platform dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Glaoui is also a member of the Christie’s Education advisory board and was invited to join the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art’s new Scholarly Advisory Committee in 2022.
Mehdi Qotbi
Mehdi Qotbi was born in 1951 in Morocco. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Rabat and the School of Fine Arts in Toulouse. He has exhibited across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and India. In addition to teaching and painting, Qotbi also acts as a diplomatic leader between Morocco and France and advocates for immigrant rights as President of the Franco-Moroccan Friendship Circle and Trait d’Union Maroc-Europe.
Qotbi has recently undertaken a work of dialogue between the greatest writers and poets of our time by inviting them to intervene in his paintings. He has collaborated with Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Octavio Paz, Yves Bonnefoy, Abdelwahab Meddeb, Michel Butor, Nathalie Sarraute, Václav Havel, Mohamed Choukri, amongst others.
In 2011, he was appointed President of the National Foundation of Museums of Morocco.
