Little Stories of Great Women Artists is an original project of playful and educational animated videos for children from the age of 7 and older.The objective of each episode? To shed light on the life and work of a woman artist from the 19th or 20th century in a three-minutes video. Imagined by screenwriter Sophie Caron, each story conveys the originality of an artist’s approach, their importance within an artistic movement, certain significant biographical stories, as well as difficulties that the artist may have encountered in her practice.

In a landscape where children’s publications and activities about art privilege male artists, this new and unique project intends for younger audiences to be able to identify important figures beyond all gender stereotypes. Through the discovery of these women artists, we hope to invite as many people as possible to discover the emotion that art can bring.

This new episode takes us between Algeria and France, to encounter Baya, an artist born in 1931 with a surprising destiny. 

The adopted daughter of Marguerite Caminat, a French painter living in Algiers, Baya discovered painting at an early age. 

The renowned gallery owner Aimé Maeght spotted her work during a trip to the Algerian capital and organized Baya’s first exhibition at his eponymous gallery in Paris in 1947 when the artist was just sixteen years old. 

Characteristic of her work are the forms outlined and defined in black. These motifs as well as the use of pink and turquoise blue, reflect the Kabylian influences of her childhood.

Throughout her unique body of work, Baya explores themes relating to women, birds, plants, and musical instruments, inspiring many artists from around the world.