20th century Art: Middle East

Colourful exhibition at Sotheby’s, the preview for a sale of 20th century Middle Eastern art.

This was the first time I’d been to a sale preview and I have to admit I was only brave enough to go in as I’d spotted a rather nice coffee shop at the back of the building. I share that with you as a top tip! A great cup of coffee in a nice space and pictures from a forthcoming sale, Scottish artists, around the walls!

The Middle Eastern art was a revelation to me and there were some lovely pictures although most of it you could like to a Western art movement and I didn’t feel I was seeing a unique Middle Eastern view of the world. There was a lovely seated life study of a naked woman sitting on a rock by Georges Hanna Sabbagh from 1928 which felt like a Slade school work. I loved her rounded thighs and the lovely flesh tones.

I loved two still lives by Manoucher Yektai both featuring a vase of flowers and a bowl. I also liked a city on a hill by Abdulhalim Radwi with blue patchwork buildings winding up to skyscrapers on the top.

My favourite was a small picture by Mahmoud Said called “Le Retour de Peche” of fishermen returning with their catch which was full of the wonderful blues and greens of the sea with other fishing boats floating on it and the boat on its side diagonally across the picture with figures supporting it creating other diagonal lines.

Closed on 20 October 2016

 

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