Britt Boutros Ghali
Norway/Egypt
Biography
Best known for her vibrant, colorful and energetic
paintings, Britt is as enigmatic as she is revered, and
is considered as one of the important Norwegian artists.
Steeped in the early influences of abstract
expressionism, she studied painting and sculpture under
Ellen Christensen and Ferdinand Lunde in Oslo in the
late 1950’s. Her earliest work deputed at Galerie de L’
Université in Paris in 1965 at the same time that Niki
de Saint Phalle joined her onto the Paris scene. Britt
participated in the Abstract Expressionist movement in
Europe in the 60’s and 70’s, and is still driven these
early influences.
Britt has exhibited internationally throughout her
career. Her work is widely collected in both public and
private collections worldwide. In 1996 Britt was awarded
the St. Olav’s Order, the highest honor given to an
artist, by King Haakon of Norway, for promoting Norway
through her art abroad. Edvard Munch is the only other
artist to have received this honor.
Britt was born in 1937 in Svolvaer, in the northern part
Norway where the saturation of light in the summer
juxtaposed by the lack thereof all winter, and as the
harsh weather and daunting pressure of the Second World
War was endured. This emotional backdrop provided a
fertile landscape for her bursting colorful and
emotional work. Britt has spent the last 30 years in
Egypt.
Britt’s studio is located on a barge on the exotic banks
of the Nile and serves as a place of abundance–not only
for the local artists and eccentrics to meet, but also
for people who travel from afar to see and collect her
work. Egypt’s rich and colorful environment has been a
great influence in her work.
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