DUBAI: On October 24, Sotheby’s will present the largest collection of Saudi modernist art ever to come to auction as part of its 20th Century Art/Middle East sale in London. The sale features a unique set of modernist works collected by Shatha Ibrahim Al-Tassan, a prominent collector who founded the Hewar Art Gallery in Riyadh in 2006.
“From a very young age, I was influenced by my father’s passion for defending the arts. I would say that I have always been a collector from afar, walking around as a child, admiring – and choosing my favorites from – the works of art that my father (had) in the house,” Al-Tassan said at Arab News. She began collecting for herself in 2005, “keeping the love and appreciation of art alive.”
The collection contains several major works by Saudi modernists, including pieces by Mounirah Mosly, Mohammed Al-Saleem, Abdul Jabbar Al-Yahya, Taha Al-Sabban and Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, as well as pieces by Egyptian, Iraqi, Syrian, Tunisian and Lebanese artists.
“(It is) the largest collection of modern Saudi art ever presented at auction,” says Ashkan Baghestani, contemporary art specialist at Sotheby’s. “As with most artistic movements, this did not occur in isolation and half the collection is made up of artists from (elsewhere in) the region who had an equally important influence, together presenting a rich of artistic dialogue.”
The auction comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is rapidly transforming its arts and culture scene.
“Supporting the arts will always be an endeavor I am happy to be a part of, and my passion for collecting always remains focused on modern art,” says Al-Tassan. “Given the cultural growth of recent years, I believe parting with these foundational works of art will help raise awareness of Middle Eastern art and perhaps allow the next person to begin their collecting journey on the right foot. »
Here we look at some of the highlights of the works on offer.
Mohammed Al-Saleem
‘Untitled’
Al-Saleem was born in 1939 and became one of the major artists of his generation, contributing greatly to the evolution of the Saudi art scene. His work often fused modernist abstraction with traditional elements of daily Saudi life. This 1986 work, according to auction manager Alexandra Roy, “essentially banishes form and landscape, reimagining the distant dunes of the desert horizon through contained patches of color, which emerge as if struggling against each other on the image surface. Its overlays and nuances suggest a search for subtle chords and variations similar to those with which a composer achieves musical harmony, creating an astonishing sensation of energy and dynamism. The artist effectively reconciles two seemingly opposing styles of abstraction and figuration while delicately balancing on the edge of both.
Mounira Mosly
‘Untitled’
The Mecca-born artist, Roy explains, “celebrates the nature, color and historical culture of the Arabian Peninsula through (experiments with) materials and textures: she worked with natural dyes (made by her – itself), copper, plant fibers, papyrus and paper, often using them in collage. The artist thus pays homage to his heritage and travel. Born in 1954, Mosly was one of the Kingdom’s first established female artists. In this piece from 2001, Roy says: “Mosly uses the technique of hand-woven rugs. Through what is considered a traditionally feminine profession, this work can be interpreted as a meditation on the sensations, emotions and aspirations of the Arab woman in this particular time and space.
She continues: “The rug hangs from a wooden window frame, which the artist is said to have sourced in northern Saudi Arabia. »
Abduljabbar Al-Yahya
“Artist 2”
1985, oil on canvas (estimate £150,000-200,000)
Al-Yahya, a former journalist, focuses in his work on abstract representations of nature and humanity, with a particular emphasis on Saudi landscapes. This poignant work was painted in 1985. As Roy explains: “The dangling, elongated limbs – typical of Al Yahya’s characters – and the loose head recall the famous “Death of Marat” by Jacques-Louis David… Despite the Intentional facelessness – a common trait Characteristic of Al Yahya’s work, which renders caricatures of popular life with a distinctive flatness: the work is imbued with a feeling of sobriety.
Taha Al-Sabban
‘Untitled’
Born in Mecca in 1948, Al-Sabban lived in Lebanon, Italy and the United Kingdom before returning to Saudi Arabia with a strong artistic talent, marrying contemporary styles with the rich heritage and natural landscape of his native country. Jeddah, where he also lived, inspired him to depict nature, particularly – as in this colorful abstract work from 1999 – the sea. The artist, says Roy, “captures the nature of the ocean through a fresh, deep palette and a vertical energy, as if the shapes are rising and swaying from the seabed. At this time, it was becoming increasingly important to maintain a sense of national identity and contemporary painting allowed Al-Sabban to visually contemplate his heritage and resurrect a local memory. As the artist himself explained in 2019, according to the Sotheby’s catalog, “all the works that I produce are linked to a place”.
Hussein Bikar
“A drinking fountain in Nubia”
This piece comes from the “Nubia” series by the Egyptian artist. Bikar sought to return Egyptian art to its national roots, rejecting its Europeanization. It was strongly impacted by the displacement of the Nubian population following the construction of the Aswan High Dam. He saw the evacuation of Nubia as leading to the destruction of its cultural and architectural heritage.
“Bikar’s works are often characterized by a sculptural quality that captures the modernist aesthetic without neglecting meaning and (pays) homage to the art of the earlier Islamic period,” says Roy. “(This) work demonstrates Bikar’s sensitive handling of color and form; the landscape is flooded with the warmth of the sun, perhaps setting or rising, casting blue shadows that give the painting an architectonic quality.
Shafic Abboud
‘Composition’
Born in 1926 in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, Abboud has shown throughout his work his connection to the landscape, light and natural abundance of his native country. This stunning work, Roy explains, was “conceived at a catalytic moment in Abboud’s career, it captures a new breath of painterly spirit; earthy hues of yellow… created by animated strokes produce a patchwork effect, which invigorates the canvas with an almost autonomous life. Abboud himself described his paintings as if they were alive; in a statement for his 2001 retrospective at the Galerie Claude Lemand in Paris, he wrote: “The work is finished when it has its skin, its real skin. What I’m putting in right now are the layers underneath, and then it will gradually build up. .”
