Portal:Bahrain/Selected biography/2

Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (born 1952) is a Bahraini painter, the first president and the current honorary president of the Bahrain Arts Society. He has painted over a period of 40 years, painting artistic genres such as Realism developed to Impressionism, which gradually evolved to Individualism, a notable prelude to his recent work, a dual concept of Abstract and the colour field. He is often considered to be one of the kingdom's important artist.

Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa was born in 1952 into Bahrain’s ruling family. His interest in painting was encouraged by the late Amir, Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, followed and Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, when both showed genuine interest in Rashid's works at a local art exhibition at his high school. As a young student, he actively participated in interscholastic painting activities and attended exhibitions of visiting artists. His first painting recorded was in 1966 when he was 14 years old when he had painted an oil painting of the Khamis mosque.

In 1970, he held his first art exhibition at the Dilmun Hotel in Manama, then considered to be the prime location for Bahrain's recreational activities. In 1983, the Bahrain Arts Society was formed, and Shaikh Rashid was named its first president. The society is a non-profit organisation for Bahraini artists to gather and hold their painting exhibitions. To date the Bahrain Art Society has participated in art exhibitions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia with Rashid as the honorary president.