The 'Fatigued Ten Horses Converse With Nothing' oil painting is from one of Iraqi artist Kadhim Hayder’s most notable series 'The Epic Of The Martyr', based on a poem the artist wrote in 1965. Photo: Christie's
More than 150 works of art have been brought together for what auction house Christie's says is the largest exhibition of Arab art to take place in London.
Titled Modern And Contemporary Art Of The Arab World, the show is divided into two sections and features items from across the region, spanning 80 years and various mediums.
The non-selling Kawkaba: Highlights From The Barjeel Art Foundation is a gender-balanced collection featuring some 100 pieces. Emirati Art Reimagined: Hassan Sharif And The Contemporary Voices centres around the pioneering artist and includes items on loan and for sale.
Both sections offer paintings, sculptures and installations from celebrated and lesser-known names.
"This is special because we try to reflect on the collecting practice of Barjeel Art Foundation, 50 percent are male, 50 percent are female, from different geographies in the Arab world," Ridha Moumni, the exhibition's curator and Christie's Middle East and North Africa deputy chairman, said on the show's recent opening day.
Key pieces of Kawkaba include Syrian painter Marwan's Head from the mid-1970s, Lebanese artist Samia Osseiran Joumblatt's Formative Radiation, painted in the late 1960s, and Egyptian painter and activist Inji Efflatoun's Dreams Of The Detainee from 1961.
The Emirati section is woven around Sharif's multi-disciplinary body of work and also introduces younger talent.
The aim of the double billing is to wow and to educate, Moumni said.
"It's usually the quiet season for us because we don't have sales, so we decided to organise this exhibition to bring people to discover Arab art and culture," he said.
The exhibition, with free entry, runs through Aug 23 at Christie's London headquarters. - Reuters
