Dr. Najat Makki
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name in Arabic | نجاة مكي |
| Born | 1956, Bur Dubai |
| Education | BFA and MFA (1988) in relief and metal sculpture; PhD in philosophy of art (2001), College of Fine Arts, Cairo |
| First exhibition | Al Wasl Club, Dubai, 1987 |
Source: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Encyclopedia: Najat Makki1
Study
With no art schools in the UAE at the time, Makki was one of the first Emirati women to receive a government scholarship to study art abroad, in 1977. Mathaf, the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, records that her 2001 doctorate made her the first Emirati woman to earn one in this field.1
Her work
Her paintings combine abstract forms with materials from Gulf women's daily life, such as henna, saffron, talli embroidery and textiles, often applied with her fingers, alongside sculpture in welded metal, clay and fibre. She has shown at the Emirates Fine Arts Society's annual exhibition almost every year since 1980.1
At the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015 she showed two metal sculptures, Takween, in the UAE exhibition "1980 – Today: Exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates".1
Sources
Facts checked 22 October 2026. Prepared by Invest-Emirates.ae for general information.