Saloua Raouda Choucair - Tate Modern

Saloua Raouda Choucair is a 97 year old Arab woman artist. She is virtually unknown outside her native Beirut and France, where she studied art in her late twenties. I must admit to never having heard of her but as is so often the case I found this small, four roomed exhibition to be more interesting and stimulating than many of the blockbuster exhibitions that I have been to.

I read in the Financial Times newspaper that Choucair fits the profile of the sort of artist that the Tate likes to put on following on from 83 year old Yayoi Kusama last year and 96 year old Louise Bourgeios in 2007 and that she is not 'a significant figure in the history of 20th century art' as if this exhibition has been granted as some kind of politically correct affirmative action. Personally I think the Tate should be applauded for hunting down interesting artists that are not well known - how many 97 year old Arab woman artist's get shown in internationally renowned art galleries? How many Arab woman artist's get shown in internationally renowned art galleries come to that? Having said that how many woman artist's get shown in internationally renowned art galleries? More than there used to be certainly, but surely that's because of galleries that are willing to take a chance and push the boundaries like the tate has done here.