The Lebanese-American artist and writer Etel Adnan was celebrated by Google. Illustration: Google
The Lebanese-American artist and writer Etel Adnan was celebrated by Google. Illustration: Google
The Lebanese-American artist and writer Etel Adnan was celebrated by Google. Illustration: Google
The Lebanese-American artist and writer Etel Adnan was celebrated by Google. Illustration: Google

Who is Etel Adnan? Lebanese artist and poet celebrated with Google Doodle


Maan Jalal
  • English
  • Arabic

Google has honoured the Lebanese-American poet, essayist and visual artist Etel Adnan with a Google Doodle.

The illustration depicts Adnan painting in a studio, surrounded by her work, piles of books, a bowl of fruit and a Lebanese flag. She is seen sitting in front of an open window with a picturesque mountain view, which could be her native Lebanon or California, where she moved in the 1950s.

Painted in bright and bold colours, the illustration takes inspiration from Adnan’s distinctive style.

Born in Beirut in 1925, Adnan grew up in Lebanon, moved to Paris aged 24, where she studied philosophy, before shifting base to the United States where she continued her graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley and at Harvard University. Adnan died in Paris in November 2021 at age 96.

The American-Lebanese artist and writer Etel Adnan, pictured here in 2015, in her Studio Workshop in Paris. Getty Images
The American-Lebanese artist and writer Etel Adnan, pictured here in 2015, in her Studio Workshop in Paris. Getty Images

Adnan began her career as a writer, but later shifted to visual arts, particularly abstract oil paintings. Her unique style is synonyms with bright colours, strong shapes and emotive compositions, used to convey the nuance and power of light and nature.

Her works were often created intuitively, with Adnan directly applying paint on to the canvas. Throughout her career, Adnan continued to write and also exhibited her work internationally.

Her writing comprises both prose and poetry exploring various themes, including exile, political, social and gender injustice. Adnan’s writing often played and experimented with form, focusing on surrealist imagery and metaphors.

Both her writing and art were honoured with a number of awards, including being named a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2014. In 2003, the academic journal Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States described Adnan as “arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab-American author writing today”.

California (2003) by Etel Adnan. Photo: Christie's
California (2003) by Etel Adnan. Photo: Christie's

This year, the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, also known as Ithra, opened a retrospective exhibition of Adnan’s work titled Between East and West. The retrospective showcases 41 of Adnan’s works across a range of mediums and pieces from the start of her career in the 1950s to some her final works in 2021.

Two works by Adnan, California and Untitled, were among the most expensive works by an Arab artists sold at auction last year. Christie’s auction house sold California for $352,800 in May, while Untitled sold for $417,097 in October.

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DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Quick%20facts
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated

Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff

The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

The five pillars of Islam
The biog

Name: Sarah Al Senaani

Age: 35

Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2

Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism

Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding

Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier

Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish

EA Sports FC 25
INDIA SQUADS

India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar

India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

RESULT

Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern:
 Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)    
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')

Updated: April 15, 2024, 1:25 PM`