About

Nabeela Al Khayer was born in Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain. Nabeela Al Khayer creates stories of magical colours with bright and expressive female characters. Nabeela Al Khayer is herself a fulfilled woman and a successful person. She derives the joy of painting happy moments, women with positive messages, feelings of gratefulness and the power of fully living from these wonderful gifts: Life and Femininity. The women painted and portrayed by Nabeela are beautiful, feminine, pensive or active, but always full of vitality and charm.

The free spirited contemporary artist, who is also a successful businesswoman, in what remains a very masculine and traditional society, is driven by a fierce passion to inspire and empower women. Her appreciation for all that is feminine is expressed on every canvas, and in every heat-filled brushstroke. When looking at Nabeela’s canvases, it is impossible to oversee images depicted from the everyday life of a woman from Bahrain. Her expressive portraits are brought to life through her vibrant use of colour and shape, and speak volumes of the life heartaches, struggles and joys that all women, regardless of their culture or socioeconomic status, share. Nabeela, who describes herself as a colorist, says she likes to ‘play’ with colour, fabric and paper photographs, and uses resin, oil, acrylic and water-colors to bring movement, energy, texture, and life to her work. All colours of the Earth have gathered in this small kingdom and it seems that all settled in the magical palette of Nabeela al Khayer. Her portraits often include poetic notes written in the borders, adding an extra dimension to the canvas’s story. Nabeela, who developed her artistic skills in the Slade School of Fine Art in London and in workshops in Paris and Geneva, has held numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the Middle East and across the globe. Her first solo art exhibition was held in Bahrain during 2002. In 2003 she was awarded the prestigious Silver Leaf Award, and since then she has held sell out exhibitions in the Middle East, Europe, New York and Asia. Her work is among the collections of Bahrain National Museum, Jordan National Museum as well as many private art collectors. As a contemporary artist in a conservative Middle Eastern society, Nabeela has come under fire for her choice of subject matter, however, despite at times igniting controversy, she continues to be well received by her countrymen and a growing international fan base.