Ahmed Yacoubi was a self-taught Moroccan artist and storyteller whose work exists at the intersection of traditional oral narrative and modernist painting. Born in Fez, Yacoubi developed his artistic voice outside conventional academic frameworks, drawing inspiration from Moroccan folklore, Sufi mysticism, and the rich visual traditions of North Africa.

Yacoubi’s career took a pivotal turn when he encountered the American writer Paul Bowles in Tangier. Paul Bowles (1910–1999) was an American writer, composer, and translator best known for his novel The Sheltering Sky(1949). Born in New York, he became a central figure in mid-20th-century literature, particularly associated with the Beat Generation and expatriate writers. In 1947, Bowles moved to Tangier, Morocco, where he lived for most of his life and became a key conduit between Western literary circles and Moroccan culture. Yacoubi's storytelling captivated Bowles, leading to collaborations in which Yacoubi’s oral tales were transcribed and published. Encouraged by Bowles and exposed to the international art world, Yacoubi began to paint, developing a style marked by expressive, gestural brushwork and a dreamlike, symbolic vocabulary. His compositions often feature otherworldly figures, abstracted landscapes, and motifs inspired by Berber and Islamic art.

His work gained recognition beyond Morocco, with exhibitions in Europe and the United States. During his years in New York, he moved within avant-garde circles, engaging with figures such as Francis Bacon, Brion Gysin, and William S. Burroughs. Despite his growing reputation, Yacoubi remained deeply rooted in his heritage, and his art retained a raw, intuitive quality that defied categorization.