Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in 1947 in Fez.
A renowned writer, among the most widely read and translated in the world, Tahar Ben Jelloun has maintained a close relationship with the visual arts for several decades. Through his writings, he has written extensively on the work of numerous Moroccan artists, including Farid Belkahia, Mohamed Melehi, Mohamed Chabâa, Fouad Bellamine, Chaïbia Talal, Jilali Gharbaoui and Mohamed Kacimi, as well as international artists such as Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Claudio Bravo and Mimmo Rotella.
Alongside his literary work, Tahar Ben Jelloun has developed a pictorial practice shaped by an exploration of light, colour and sign. This exploration led him to stained glass, created in collaboration with master glassmaker Philippe Brissy, based in Saumur. Several of his paintings have been translated into stained glass works, establishing a dialogue between writing, transparency and space.
His paintings are held in several public and private collections, including the Fondation Yannick et Ben Jakober (Spain), the Museo San Salvatore In Lauro (Italy), the Institut du monde arabe (France) and the Villa Harris, Musée de Tanger (Morocco).
Tahar Ben Jelloun lives between Paris, Tangier and Marrakech.