Farid Belkahia was born in Marrakech on November 15, 1934.
He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1955 to 1959. From 1959 to 1962, he studied stage design at the Prague Theater Institute. In 1965-66, he perfected his skills at the Brera Academy in Milan.
On his return to Morocco, Farid Belkahia was Director of the Casablanca School of Fine Arts from 1962 to 1974.
After a period of expressionist painting, Farid Belkahia oriented his art towards more geometric schemes and diversified his painting media. After a long copper period from 1962 to 1974, he turned his attention to skin tinted with natural pigments such as henna and pomegranate bark, among others.
An emblematic figure of contemporary art in Morocco, Farid Belkahia has conducted a fundamental artistic experiment and in-depth reflection on new ways of accessing modernity. He has revisited Moroccan heritage and craftsmanship, giving them a contemporary and artistic touch that has breathed new life into them. His works on skin combine traditional materials with modern forms. Farid Belkah emphasizes that “all renewal and modernity come from tradition”.
Farid Belkahia's works have found their way into prestigious collections including the Institut du Monde Arabe (France), the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain du Centre Georges-Pompidou (France), the Fonds National d'Art Contemporain (France), the Mathaf Museum (Qatar) and the ONA Foundation (Morocco).
Farid Belkahia died in 2014 in Marrakech.