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Click here to subscribeLot of 68 catalogues 39 pcs. Christie's 2003, 2004 concerning paintings, fine art, ceramics, modern art, snuff bottles, enamels and bronze. And 29 pcs. Christie's 2011, concerning ceramics, modern art, paintings, fine art, jade, carving and calligraphy.Condition Report: http://www.zeeuwsveilinghuis.nl/notices
Lot of 75 catalogues 44 pcs. Christie's 2001, 2002, concerning fine art, ceramics, modern art, decorative art, furniture and paintings. And 31 pcs. Christie's 2007, concerning ceramics, modern art, paintings, fine art, jade, snuff bottles, cloisonnes, carving and calligraphy.Condition Report: http://www.zeeuwsveilinghuis.nl/notices
EDMUND THORNTON CRAWFORD RSA RSW (SCOTTISH 1806 - 1885) - and others, an album of primarily pencil sketches, nine signed by Crawford, others unsigned, various landscape and marine subjects, together with a group of others by various hands and a number of prints, approximately 34 pictures, sizes from c. 7cm by 10cm to c. 14cm by 21cm, album lacking original boards. Album 26cm by 21cm Note: Crawford was a landscape and marine painter, born at Cowden, near Dalkeith, in 1806. He was the son of a land surveyor, and when a boy was apprenticed to a house-painter in Edinburgh. He entered the Trustees' Academy under Andrew Wilson, where he had fellow-students David Octavius Hill and Robert Scott Lauder. William Simpson, who was one of the older students, became a close friend. Crawford's early paintings were exhibited in the Royal Institution, and his first contributions to the annual exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy appeared in 1831, two of these being taken from lowland scenery in Scotland, and the third being the portrait of a lady. Although not one of the founders of the Academy, Crawford was one of its earliest elected members. His name appears in the original list of associates, but having withdrawn from the body before its first exhibition, it was not until 1839 that he became an associate. Meanwhile he visited Holland for the first of what would be several times. He studied the Dutch masters, whose influence in forming his picturesque style was seen in nearly everything he painted. Despite acclaim and commercial success it was 1848 before he was elected a full academician. In the same year he produced his first great picture, ‘Eyemouth Harbour,’ which he rapidly followed up with other works of high quality which established his reputation as one of the greatest masters of landscape-painting in Scotland. Among these were a ‘View on the Meuse,’ ‘A Fresh Breeze,’ ‘River Scene and Shipping, Holland,’ ‘Dutch Market Boats,’ ‘French Fishing Luggers,’ ‘Whitby, Yorkshire,’ and ‘Hartlepool Harbour.’ He also painted in watercolours, usually working on light brown crayon paper, and using body-colour freely. The only picture he contributed to a London exhibition was a ‘View of the Port and Fortifications of Callao, and Capture of the Spanish Frigate Esmeralda,’ at the Royal Academy in 1836. The characteristics of his art are the old school of Scottish landscape-painting. This was not so realistic in detail as the modern school, but was perhaps wider in its grasp, and strove to give impressions of nature rather than the literal truth. In 1858 Crawford left Edinburgh and settled at Lasswade, but he continued to contribute regularly to the annual exhibitions of the Academy until 1877, maintaining to the last the high position he had gained early in life. He was at one time a keen sportsman with both rod and gun. He died at Lasswade 27 Sept. 1885, ‘Coast Scene, North Berwick,’ and ‘Close Hauled; Crossing the Bar,’ by him, are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Scotland and a further nineteen works are held in UK public collections.
A CARVED WOOD FIGURE OF AMIDA NYORAI, KAMAKURAJapan, Kamakura period (1185-1333)(AD 1044-1211)Scientific Analysis Report: An AMS 14C (radiocarbon age) Analysis Report (Project code: I/2451) was completed by Isotoptech Zrt. in Debrecen, Hungary on 30 April 2020, stating a calibrated calendar age of AD 1044-1211. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.Carved and assembled from cypress wood in yosegi zukuri technique and modeled as the Amitabha Buddha standing. The right hand raised in vitarkamudra and the left held in dhyanamudra, the hair arranged in small, snail-shaped spiral curls (rahotsu), the robe open at the torso and falling in pleats. The body applied with lacquer and kirikane (cut gold foil), an inlaid jewel on the forehead, and inlaid crystal eyes with painted pupils.HEIGHT 30.8 cmCondition: Good condition commensurate with age, some wear and weathering, few small natural age cracks, some old fills and touch-ups, minor losses.Provenance: From a private collector in Budapest, Hungary.On a modern wood base.Auction comparison:Compare with a closely related statue at Christie's New York, Japanese and Korean Art, 19 March 2019, lot 288 (sold for 50,000 USD).
A ‘TENGU AND DRAGON’ BRONZE SPHERE, WAFTING ON A MONUMENTAL WAVEJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)This is an exceptional bronze ensemble, reminiscent of one of the most iconic images of modern art, the Great Wave of Kanagawa, created by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831. The ingenuity of this composition is quite unique, as it depicts an enormous wave about to crash down upon frail crabs and octopuses beneath, while the cresting foam on top wraps around a bronze sphere, neatly incised with a dragon holding the magic pearl, and a crow-beaked karasu tengu about to take off from its peak. The waves altogether form a frame through which we observe the ‘floating’ sphere. The inevitable breaking, that we seem to await, creates a ‘magic’ tension in this artwork. Please note this bronze can also be used as a censer.HEIGHT 51 cmWEIGHT 6.8 kgCondition: Very good condition with minor traces of use, old wear and superficial scratches, some casting flaws and pitting, minuscule dents and nicks here and there, minimal warping, some corrosion to underside of base, overall exactly as expected for a bronze of this size and age. Fine, naturally grown deep-brown patina overall. Provenance: From a private collection Paris, France.The ‘Kanagawa’ wave has been influential on generations of artists both in the East and the West. The energy it conveys echoes similar approaches to render the sublime of nature in 19th century European artistic movements. In summer of 1888, Van Gogh had written passionately to his brother that “These waves are claws, you can feel it. Ah well, if we made the color very correct or the drawing very correct, we wouldn’t create those emotions”. (Letter 676 to Theo van Gogh)The dragon is associated with a wealth of legend and symbolism in old Japan, signifying both the holy nature of Shinto and the wisdom of Buddhism. Representations of the dragon are found from the earliest historical period, wall paintings in the stone tomb chambers of the Kofun era (4th - 7th centuries) together with tiger, phoenix, and gryphon. In Shinto mythology, the deity Ryujin is a dragon who lives under the sea and bears a jewel that controls the tides.The tengu, or Heavenly Sentinel, is a legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion. Buddhism long held that they were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Literature comparison: For a silver ornament of a dragon and crystal sphere see Joe Earle, Splendors of Meiji, Treasures of Imperial Japan, Masterpieces from the Khalili, pl. 135.
Wirkerei in farbiger Wolle und Seide. Links zwei nach links gerichtete, ganzfigurige Frauen, die rechte davon leserlich beschriftet mit "Justina" (sic!), mit Krone und Schwert, der neben ihr stehenden ein Buch reichend. Rechts unten drei weitere Personen, ein gekrönter Frauenkopf (Misericordia), eine weibliche Halbfigur und ein Männerkopf, rechts oben zwei weitere, unleserlich beschriftete Gewandsäume. Zahlreiche ältere Reparaturen, modern restauriert und mit Baumwolle hinterfangen. H 149, B 166 cm.Brüssel, zugeschrieben, um 1515/ erstes Viertel 16. Jh.Der Ausschnitt zeigt mehrere Figurenkonstallationen aus der großen Tapisserie „Die Tugenden legen Fürsprache für die Menschen ein“ aus der Serie „Die Erlösung des Menschen“, die am Anfang des 16. Jahrhunderts, also vor über 500 Jahren, in Brüssel gewebt wurde. Die erste Publikation der beeindruckenden Folge von zehn Tapisserien erfolgte 1912 durch D.T.B. Wood (Burlington Magazine 20, No. 106, Januar 1912). Sie zeigen ein umfangreiches didaktisches Bildprogramm, das mit dem Versprechen auf Erlösung beginnt und durch die Heilsgeschichte führt. Anna Gray Bennett errechnete, dass die gesamte Serie 79 Meter Wandfläche bedeckt hat.Sie listet fünf Ausführungen, die sukzessive gewebt wurden: für die Kathedrale von Narbonne (die einzige Ausführung mit Metallfäden), für Don Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, Bischof von Palencia und Burgos, für die Herzöge von Berwick und Alba, für die Kathedrale von Toledo und für Manuel von Portugal. Das zentrale Fragment der dritten Tapisserie, zu der auch dieser hier gezeigte Ausschnitt gehört, befindet sich im Museum in San Francisco und gehörte ursprünglich zu der Bestellung der Kathedrale in Toledo.ProvenienzPfälzische Privatsammlung.LiteraturVgl. Bennett, Five Centuries of Tapestry. The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco 1992, Kat.Nr. 13, eine weiteres Fragment, unter Abb. 39, die ganze Tapisserie in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1938, 38.29.
A collection of approximately 20 assorted art books, mainly Modern art including Edward Hopper, Paula Rego, Andre Derain, Lucian Freud, Euan Uglow, Anita Klein, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Julio Larraz, Kevin Sinnott, Paula Modersohn-Becker etc. From the collection of Nicholas Simington (1930-2020), DA Glasgow School of Art, professional artist of over 40 years, who exhibited at The Serpentine Gallery, London, and in one-man shows in numerous galleries across the UK. Following his studies at the Glasgow School of Art from 1968-1972, he taught at Garrion Academy before moving to Norfolk in 1975, from then on painting tirelessly and producing an impressive body of work. To his delight, at the age of 83, he was shortlisted for the Artist of the Year award by Artists & Illustrators magazine, and he continued to paint every day until he was 86.
A collection of 18 art books, artists mainly French and associated with Impressionism, Realism, Modern Art, including Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean Francois-Millet, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Edouard Manet, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin etc, titles include Adams: 'The Barbizon School & the Origins of Impressionism, 1997, original wraps; Galassi: 'Corot in Italy', 1991, orig. cloth, dust wrapper, slipcase, plus one other Corot; Kendall: 'Degas by himself', 1988, in wrapper, 'Degas to Matisse. Impressionist and Modernist Masterworks', 2000, in wrapper, plus three others Degas; 'Chardin', Royal Academy of Arts, 2000, in wrapper; Thomson: 'Seurat', 1985, 1st edition, orig. wraps, plus two others Seurat, etc etc. From the collection of Nicholas Simington (1930-2020), DA Glasgow School of Art, professional artist of over 40 years, who exhibited at The Serpentine Gallery, London, and in one-man shows in numerous galleries across the UK. Following his studies at the Glasgow School of Art from 1968-1972, he taught at Garrion Academy before moving to Norfolk in 1975, from then on painting tirelessly and producing an impressive body of work. To his delight, at the age of 83, he was shortlisted for the Artist of the Year award by Artists & Illustrators magazine, and he continued to paint every day until he was 86.
Three boxes of art exhibition catalogues, mainly contemporary / modern British art, some private press related etc., good quality. Gwen John and several Augustus John; 'The St Bride Notebook', Incline Press, 2003, wood engravings by Eric Ravilious, limited edition, (152/200), signed by Caroline Archer and numbered, original quarter cloth gilt, patterned paper covered boards, David Gentleman signed Christmas card, pen, ink and watercolour on card, signed verso Ronald Wilson, July 2003, several Taranman & Ashmolean Museum catalogues printed by Christopher Skelton at Wellingborough in limited editions, including Christopher Hewett collection, Nicolas de Stael, Charles Shannon, Charles Marq, Victor Segalen, etc.
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Night at the Breakwater Oil on canvas, 50 x 76cm (19¾ x 30'') Signed; inscribed verso Provenance: With The Dawson Gallery, label verso. Born in Derry, Norah McGuinness moved to Dublin at the age of eighteen after being awarded a three-year scholarship to study at The Metropolitan School of Art. Her decision was not supported by her parents but, under the tutelage of artists such as Harry Clarke and Patrick Tuohy, she nurtured her talent before heading to London to continue her learning at the Chelsea School of Art. In 1929, she was encouraged by Mainie Jellett to travel to Paris, where McGuinness furthered her education under the cubist André Lhote. McGuinness' time with Lhote was extremely influential as, although she did not become a slavish follower of Cubism, she was exposed to the modern movements which were then traversing the European continent. An intuitive teacher, it would seem that Lhote was particularly careful in encouraging his students' individual characteristics and talents. His list of pupils encompasses Grace Henry, Fr. Jack Hanlon, William Conor, McGuinness and Jellett to name but a few but each developed a very separate and distinct style, with Lhote's influence gently simmering underneath. Mainie Jellet summed up her time in Paris by stating With Lhote, I learned how to use natural forms as a starting point... to produce work based on a knowledge of rhythmical form and organic colour...' Studying McGuinness' work, the truth of this statement becomes apparent as her pieces are undoubtedly celebrations of shape and masterful experiments in tone. 'Night at Breakwater' is an excellent example of this. McGuinness has taken the shoreline and broken it down into its basic forms. Picked out by the moonlight, the sandy yellows of the beach lie in contrast to the inky pools of water. Subtle changes in colour hint at the water's depth and calm movement, whilst on land smatterings of orange and brown denote the abrasive nature of the sand. Sitting atop these organic elements are the man-made structures which have been approached in a harsher and bolder manner. Thick swabs of white interrupt the peaceful view, highlighting the structures as unnatural and clumsy additions to the waterfront. Despite the quick brushstrokes to the fore and middle grounds, the painting exudes a sense of calm, cemented by the serenity of the stretching sea behind. A master of atmosphere, McGuinness has artfully provided an impression of the urban shoreline at night. The image is slightly abstracted and, in places, the perspective is warped, however, we are under no confusion as to what we are looking at. As with all of McGuinness' work, her subject is clearly depicted within the playful nature of her style. Helena Carlyle, May 2021
Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957) Downpatrick Head, Co. Mayo (1909) Oil on board, 23 x 35.5cms (9 x 14) Signed Provenance: Leo Smith, November 1946, Sir Hugh Beaver; thence by descent to Mrs. C. Lawson-Tancred; Sale, Christies, 17th November 1978, lot 164 Exhibited: Dublin, Stephen's Green Gallery, Drawings and Paintings of Life in the West of Ireland, February-March 1921, no.13 Literature: Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats; A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings I, London, 1992, no.11, p.12 (illustrated p.6) Hilary Pyle has described the view (pp.11-12), Downpatrick Head, five miles north-east of Ballycastle, lies on the right horizon, with the spectacular Doonbristy - the cliff with promontory fort cut off at the end of the Head - in the centre Yeats visited Downpatrick Head, near Ballycastle in north Co. Mayo in 1909 and painted two oils and several watercolours of the scenery. His sketchbooks also contain drawings of this distinctive coastline. The other oil painting which he produced shows a slightly different view of the same vista and is now in the collection of Limerick City Art Gallery. Pure landscapes, without figures, are a feature of Yeats's early ventures into oil paint which he had only begun to use in 1902. This view of the waves crashing onto the rocky shoreline with a turbulent sky above is reminiscent of some of the more dramatic of Nathaniel Hone's coastal landscapes and reveals Yeats to be a consummate painter of nature. Equally the use of strong colour and form show his awareness of modern approaches to landscape in which coastal views had an established pedigree going back to the work of Claude Monet and the impressionists. The cut-off composition focuses attention on the rocks in the foreground. Their variegated texture is conveyed through thickly applied paint inflexed with blues, greys and browns. The shoreline provides the composition with a strong undulating component extending across the lower left hand side of the painting. This is subtly echoed in the view of the dramatic sea stack of Doonbristy in the distance to the right where the headland extends into the ocean. The horizon line brings an element of calm and stability to the composition and acts as a counterpart to the irregularity of the rocks in the foreground. Immediately above it the sky appears as an expanse of white opaque cloud while the ocean directly before it seems almost static. This conveys a sense of distance and expanse and intensifies the physicality of the more forceful elements of the shore and the upper sky. Dr. Roisin Kennedy
Norah McGuinness HRHA (1901-1980) Melon on Terrace Table (1950) Oil on canvas, 55.5 x 89cm (21¾ x 35'') Signed; inscribed with title verso 'Terrace Table with Melon' Provenance: With Taylor Galleries, Dublin, March/April 1979, where purchased by the current owner. In the early 20th century Irish Art was steeped in tradition. The formation of the Free State in 1922 saw a nation scrambling to recapture its identity, focussing on academic depictions of rural life to separate them from an ever more modern Britain. For those artists who wished to escape this insularity, continental Europe provided the perfect opportunity. Like many Irish artists before her, Norah McGuinness travelled to Paris in 1929 to study under André Lhote and was immersed in the excitement of the European art scene. Under Lhote, McGuinness learned Cubism but, within her circles, she would have been exposed to Fauvism, Impressionism, Futurism and a myriad of ideologies in between. Leaving Paris, McGuinness took what she had learned and went to London where she briefly settled until WWII convinced her that it was time to return to Ireland. Arriving in Dublin alongside many fellow artists in the same position, McGuinness found a country devoid of new thought. Art remained in the clutches of academia, with the RHA acting as the sole exhibition space for contemporary artists. Dissatisfied, the Irish Exhibition of Living Art was established in 1943, with McGuinness among its founding members. A year later, McGuinness succeeded Mainie Jellett as president of the foundation and she continued to head it for over twenty years, encouraging and promoting modern art in Ireland. The IELA served as a platform for non-academic artists to show their works and, following the end of the War, continental artists were invited to exhibit their pieces also, creating an influx of modern ideals to the country. Suddenly, pieces by Hockney, Picasso, Manet and Miro were all accessible from Dublin and the artistic revolution was well underway. A pioneer for the modern art movement, Norah McGuinness was selected, alongside Nano Reid, to represent Ireland at the 1950 Venice Biennale. This was the first time that Ireland had entered the exhibition and it was therefore paramount that they put their best work forward. Believing that the unique styles of Reid and McGuinness could proudly hold their own against paintings by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, they were sent off with twelve works each. The exhibition was a success, with the Italian president even purchasing one of McGuinness' works. In the same year, McGuinness painted the current lot, 'Melon on Terrace Table'. A joyful and eclectic mix of different styles, this work oozes continental charm and demonstrates McGuinness as someone who is acutely aware of the progress ravaging the art world. The neon yellow table tips its hat to the Fauves, whilst the flattened subject matter and distorted perspective shows Lhote's Cubist legacy. Furthermore, the swift, loose treatment of the spoon and cloth belie the influence of early 20th century Impressionism, yet the image is distinctly McGuinness. The bold lines remember her time as an illustrator and the carefully placed items are reminiscent of her days in set design. A beautiful piece, 'Melon on Terrace Table' is representative of mid-20th century Irish art in that, rather than following a specific and doctored method of painting, it is all-inclusive, allowing the scene's energy to dictate the style.
Ahmed Morsi (Egypt, born 1930)Untitled (Bull) mixed media on paper, framedsigned 'A.Morsi' and dated '1968' (lower right), executed in 196838 x 55cm (14 15/16 x 21 5/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, New YorkAcquired directly from the Artist by the present ownerExhibited:Aicon Gallery, New York, The Flying Poet, December 2018 – January 2019Ahmed Morsi is an Egyptian artist, art critic and poet with a career that spans decades of creative output. Drawing on his memories of his upbringing, Morsi employs a series of surrealist motifs that appear to take a dip in the metaphysical in his works. In the 1950s, he simultaneously studied literature at Alexandria University and painting at the studio of Italian master Silvio Becchi. In 1974, Morsi moved to New York City, where he continues to paint, write and critique from his Manhattan home. His variously populated images seem to have origins in ancient Egyptian iconography – the sadness of his creatures derived by animating an ancient past with modern life. He does this by assembling his compositions as a series of continuums between different planes. The theatricality of his painted spaces is undeniable. Ambitious visual plains, characters in varying degrees of definition and a sense of pathos, all pointing to a moor that exists out of time. Having grown up in Alexandria, Egypt, Morsi was exposed to a cosmopolitan culture. Visions of a fictive, invented Alexandria run through most of Morsi's work and his practice offers a powerful and mystical meditation on remembrance and the passage of time. It is important to understand the context in which Morsi developed his language of surrealism. Alexandria in the 1940s became a haven for artists and activists fleeing the Third Reich, culminating in the formation of the Art and Liberty Group and later the Contemporary Art Group. It is here that Egyptian Surrealism realized its full form, its proponents using the metaphysical in revealing a deep sense of anguish and displacement. Morsi's visual vocabulary takes root in this potent soil.As Kaelen Wilson-Goldie wrote in Artforum, 'Distant Shores,' during the 1960s, Morsi experimented with color ad cubism. She stated that in many of Morsi's works, there are allusions to Picasso, as he is most familiar with Picasso's work in comparison to any other painters. In Untitled (Bull) (1968), the bull has been drawn in profile with an absence of shadow. This work showcases the experimentation that led to Morsi's refinement of his Surrealist visual language.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Kadhim Hayder (Iraq, 1932-1985)How He Wandered with the Heart of a Martyr (From the Epic of the Martyr Series) oil on canvas, framedexecuted in 1963127 x 176cm (50 x 69 5/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from the artist by the above Exhibited:The Marty's Epic, Kadhim Hayder, Baghdad National Museum, 1965 (the present work is composition No.6 from the cycle)The Marty's Epic, Kadhim Hayder, Sursock Museum, Beirut 1965Published:Hiwar, Vol.3 No.3, Kadhim Hayder: Waddah Faris, 1965 (preparatory sketch)A MONUMENTAL 1963 MASTERPIECE FROM KADHIM HAYDER'S MARTYR'S EPIC: THE LARGEST COMPOSITION FROM THE SERIES EVER TO COME TO AUCTION'The horse represents the knight, keeping with the popular belief that the horse carries the spirit of the knight after his martyrdom.'- Kadhim Hayder'The exhibition of The Epic of the Martyr took place in circumstances that were politically and culturally complicated; it turned the idea of martyrdom into a modern symbol that cried out in tragedy apart from any religious interpretation.'- Dia al-AzzawiHow He Wandered with the Heart of a Martyr, by Saleem Al-Bahloly How He Wandered with the Heart of a Martyr belongs to a landmark series of paintings shown at the National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad the last week of April 1965 under the title The Epic of the Martyr. The series drew immediate critical acclaim for the way that the artist, Kadhim Haidar, was able to derive from popular culture not simply visual motifs to tailor the styles of modernism to the local context of Iraq but a means of expression for articulating the human condition. The human condition preoccupied artists and thinkers across the world in the middle of the twentieth-century; but in Iraq the concept of the human took on a particular significance following the persecution of leftists in the aftermath of the Baʿath coup in 1963. The Epic of the Martyr was so important largely because it demonstrated how artists could represent modern experience by drawing upon their cultural history.Haidar began working on the series in 1963 shortly after returning from London where he had studied printmaking and stage-design at the Royal College of Art. On the one hand, the paintings were a continuation of the interests of artists in the 1950s: in the inspiration Haidar found in popular culture and in his adoption of certain pictorial devices from ancient Assyrian sculpture to modern art (associated with the Baghdad Group for Modern Art) as well as in his concern with political struggles for justice (associated with the Pioneers art group). On the other hand, however, Haidar opened a new horizon for the practice of art by structuring the paintings around an act of symbolism.The paintings are composed of horses and warriors, wielding spears and swords and bearing banners and shields, that are positioned on a flat, mythical landscape. This imagery was drawn from the annual taʿziya celebrations that mourn the martyrdom of al-Husayn and other members of the Prophet's family in a stand-off with the Umayyad army in 680 AD; in particular, the imagery is taken from the processions in which a pageant of costumed figures representing characters from the battle fought on the 'plain' west of the Euphrates parade through the street accompanying poets who narrate in a vernacular tradition of verse the injustice suffered by the Prophet's family. In the paintings, this imagery has been reconstructed according to a variety of devices inspired by a range of sources: the bodies of the horses and figures are turned toward the viewer, as if they are appearing on a stage or in an ancient frieze depicting a historic battle; a sense of performance is carried into the image by the intense expressivity of their gestures which seem to dissolve anatomical features and the outline of shapes in a fervour of emotion; the limbs of human and animal bodies alike are often multiplied (an influence of Assyrian sculptural reliefs that Haider almost certainly saw at the British Museum in London) and tapered (a form of modelling inspired by the sculpture of Henry Moore).The reconstructed imagery is arranged in the paintings not to narrate a historical event but to elaborate a concept of the martyr that emerged out of that event—a hero who by his death in a struggle for truth paradoxically triumphs. Haidar developed this concept of the martyr in painting by focusing on the symbolic relation between the fallen martyr and his horse. As he explained to the newspaper al-Jumhuriyya in 1965: 'the horse represents the knight, keeping with the popular belief that the horse carries the spirit of the knight after his martyrdom.' That symbolism is present in the mourning processions where al-Husayn is represented by a riderless white horse; but it has its roots in a legend that, when al-Husayn's horse saw his beheaded corpse, it circled around his body, rubbed its head in his blood, let out a ferocious whine and killed forty men.That moment when the martyr is transfigured into the symbol of the horse is in part dramatized in How He Wandered with the Heart of a Martyr. A white horse stands in the foreground carrying on its back a decapitated body. It groans violently into the helmeted warrior on the left who holds a sword triumphantly over his head; arrayed behind the white horse at centre are other horses in crimson and mustard-orange and warriors whose spears and shields resolve into simple shapes and strokes in the distance. The body of the headless corpse astride the white horse is unlike the other bodies in the paintings: it has volume and weight, it casts a shadow, and it gathers together the pinks, grays and browns in the picture. This painting was the sixth in the series; in another painting that comes near the end of the series, in the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation, Fatigued, Ten Horses Converse with Nothing, the headless corpse morphs into the heads of two horses. The paintings in The Epic of the Martyr were different sizes, and this was one of the largest. Its size reflects Haidar's interest in the mourning processions as a kind of street theatre, his work in stage design, and the monumental scale of ancient Mesopotamian sculpture. But it also reflects, as Dia al-ʿAzzawi has written, Haidar's desire to collapse the distinction between gallery and street, and between art and ritual, by reproducing the atmosphere of the folk celebration inside the museum. To that end, for the exhibition in 1965, Haidar composed a poem in which each line corresponded to a painting in the series, in this way reproducing the coupling of pageant and poetry in the mourning processions. This attempt to go beyond the conventional materials of painting, in order to use the artwork to stage an experience that is not only visual but also emotive, makes The Epic of the Martyr one of the earliest pieces of contemporary art in the Middle East.Saleem Al-Bahloly received a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and has held fellowships at Johns Hopkins and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is writing a book about an intellectual shift that occurred in Iraq during the 1960s in response to disillusionment with left-wing politics.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961)Mother and Child macassar ebony and metal wire in two figurinesexecuted in 1953Height: Mother: 56cm, Child: 27cmFootnotes:MOTHER AND CHILD, AND MOTHERHOODTWO ICONIC SCULPTURES BY JEWAD SELIMProvenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from Lorna Selim, the artists wife, by the above, circa 1971Exhibited:House of Medhat Ali Madhloom, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, 1954The Jewad Selim Touring Exhibition, organised by the American Friends of the Middle East, March-April 1954:Maine, Portland, L.D.M Sweat Museum, 1954Philadelphia, De Braux Gallery, 1954Pittsburgh, Bellefield Avenue Gallery, 1954Chicago, Headquarters of the Midwestern office of the American Friends of the Middle East, 1954New York, Middle East House, 1954Baghdad Exhibition of Paintings and Sculptures, Al Mansur Club under the patronage of the King, February 1956;National Museum of Modern Art, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, January 1968Published:Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Art in Iraq, Hayat Fil America, No.43, 1966, P26-29Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Art in Iraq Today, Stephen Austin and Sons, 1961, p.2Majid Al-Samara'ai, The Baghdad Group for Modern Art: A Year of Giving and Continuity, 1971, Al-Adab 19, June 1971Exhibition Catalogue, Jewad Selim, National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, January 1968Abbas El-Saraf, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, 1972Shakir Hassan Al-Said, The History of the Plastic Arts in Iraq Part 1, p.211Ahmed Naji, Under the Palm Trees, Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, 2019, Rizzoli International, Page 86The present sculptures (lots 16 and 17) are two of Jewad Selim's most emblematic compositions. Instantly recognisable, striking, and deeply symbolic, Motherhood and Mother and Child are signature works by the pioneer of Iraqi modernism.Exhibited, published and critically acclaimed, these works took part in Selim's landmark retrospective exhibition at the Baghdad National Museum in 1968. Executed in divergent mediums and in radically distinctive styles, they nonetheless present us with poignant and penetrating meditations on one of Selim's key artistic subjects: the concept of motherhoodExecuted upon Jewad's return to Iraq after studying at the Slade, the sculptures are a hallmark representation of the Baghdad Group of Modern Art, with use of traditional Iraqi themes and motif's related within a distinctly modernist visual language. From the collection of the late Said Ali Madhloom who continued to preserve and care for these delicate masterpieces after resettling in the United Kingdom, they carry an immense significance within the history of Iraqi of modernism'I used to play with the Mother and Child and wanted to bring them with the to England but my mother couldn't, so she left them with Said Ali Madhloom. I am delighted that one of my childhood loves is safe' – Miriam SelimMother and Child is a remarkably original sculpture and perhaps one of the most unique and distinct creations by Selim. A simplified, semi-abstracted depiction of wire and ebony figurines depicting a mother with open arms ready to embrace her child, the work feels like a wooden transfiguration of Selim's painted works. The sculpture has been shown in over eight major exhibitions, including Jewad's one-man touring show of the United States, a travelling exhibition which would result in a heap of critical acclaim and which was widely reported on in local American media; an extraordinary achievement for a Middle Eastern artist at the time.Stylistically, the work shows clear influence from Modern British sculptural movements active while Selim was studying at Slade in the late 1940's. A combination of the soft lyrical curvature and flowing smoothness of Henry Moore who Jewad Studied under at the Slade, and the distinct, mechanical wire sculptures of the 'Geometry of Fear' movement. The leading protagonist of the Geometry of Fear movement, Reg Butler, was one of Jewad's most notable teachers at the Slade; Butler grew up in the workhouse his parents managed. Close to a maternity ward, an asylum and old people's home, he encountered birth, life, difficulties and death from childhood. This Victorian setting inspired narratives in his art, which he interpreted through a Freudian framework and the human body was his most enduring subject. These complex, sometimes disturbing interpretations of the human form and familiar relations clearly influenced Jewad although Selims own work would exclude some of the darker aspects of the Geometry of Fear movement which placed more emphasis on the distortion of post-War trauma. Selim considered the Mother and Child theme a universal subject 'from the beginning of time'; an 'inexhaustible' motif that offered multiple sculptural possibilities. Throughout his works that deal with this subject matter, Jewad's fixation with the Mother and Child can in some ways be seen in straightforward compositional terms – the relationship of a small form with a big form – and ideas of protection and nurture.Selim's sculptural composition is unlike anything produced in Iraq at the time. In its novel use of material, its anatomical framework, its kineticism it demonstrates the creative power of an artist with a bold and un-daunting conviction in his own originality. A deeply personal sculpture, Mother and Child began life in Selim's own personal collection, and was a favourite toy of the artists daughter Miriam. Upon their sudden departure from Baghdad in 1971, Miriam and Selim's wife Lorna were unable to transport the fragile work to London and decided to give it to Said Ali Madhloom.'From very early on I had an obsession with the Mother and Child theme - a big form protecting a little form - it has been a universal theme from the beginning of time and some of the earliest sculptures we've found from the Neolithic Age are of a mother and child.'- Henry MooreJewad Selim (1919-61)It is impossible to understand the modern art movement in Iraq without taking into account the works of this pioneer sculptor and painter, who was undoubtedly the most influential artist in Iraq's modern art movement. To him, art was a tool to reassert national self-esteem and help build a distinctive Iraqi identity. He tried to formulate an intellectual definition for contemporary Iraqi art. In charting his country's contemporary social and political realities, he was committed to combining the indigenous historical and folkloric art forms, with contemporary Western trends.Born in Ankara, Turkey in 1919 to Iraqi parents who moved to Baghdad in 1921, Jewad Selim came from a strongly artistic family: his father was an accomplished amateur painter, whose work was influenced by the European old masters, and his brother Nizar and sister Neziha were also accomplished painters, becoming well-known in their own right.Jewad was sent to Europe on government scholarships to further his art education, first to Paris (1938-39) and then to Rome (1939-40). The effects of World War II resulted in Jewad cutting short his studies and returning to Baghdad, where he began part-time work at the Directorate of Antiquities, where he developed an appreciation and understanding of ancient art of his country, and he also taught at the Institute of Fine Arts and founded the sculpture department.In 1946, he was sent to the Slade School of Art, London. At the Slade, Jewad met his future wife and fellow art student, Lorna. Jewad returned to Baghdad in 1949 to become Head of the Department of Sculpture at the Institute of Fine Arts, where he taught his students to draw on the heritage of their country to create a distinctive Iraqi style and artistic identity, which would become the ethos of an influential art... For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961)Motherhood plaster sculpture with aluminium armatureexecuted in 1953Height: 46cmFootnotes:Provenance:Property from a private English collectionFormerly in the collection of Said Ali MadhloomAcquired directly from the artist by the above Exhibited: House of Medhat Ali Madhloom, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, 1954National Museum of Modern Art, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, January 1968Published: Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Iraqi Art Today, Al Wasiti Festival, Ministry of Information, Iraq, 1972 (wood)Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Art in Iraq Today, Stephen Austin and Sons, 1961, p.2Exhibition Catalogue, Jewad Selim, National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, January 1968Abbas El-Saraf, Jewad Selim, Baghdad, 1972, p.22 (wood)Shakir Hassan Al-Said, The History of the Plastic Arts in Iraq Part 1Lensen, Rogers and Shabout, Modern art in the Arab World, Primary Documents, MOMA, 2018, p.152 (wood)Journal of the Iraqi Petroleum Company, Vol 7, No.2, September 1954Ahmed Naji, Under the Palm Trees, Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, 2019, Rizzoli International, Page 86Note:Another version of the present sculpture carved in fruitwood, sold in these rooms, October 2011, Lot 16, now in the collection of MATHAF DohaThe present sculptures (Lots 16 and 17) are two of Jewad Selim's most emblematic compositions. Instantly recognisable, striking, and deeply symbolic, Motherhood and Mother and Child are signature works by the pioneer of Iraqi modernism. Exhibited, published and critically acclaimed, these works took part in Selim's landmark retrospective exhibition at the Baghdad National Museum in 1968. Executed in divergent mediums and in radically distinctive styles, they nonetheless present us with poignant and penetrating meditations on one of Selim's key artistic subjects: the concept of motherhoodExecuted upon Jewad's return to Iraq after studying at the Slade, the sculptures are a hallmark representation of the Baghdad Group of Modern Art, with use of traditional Iraqi themes and motif's related within a distinctly modernist visual language. From the collection of the late Said Ali Madhloom who continued to preserve and care for these delicate masterpieces after resettling in the United Kingdom, they carry an immense significance within the history of Iraqi of modernism 'You have to know where you come from to know where you are going. The lines, forms and softly muted colours I use were favoured by artists as long ago as 2000 B.C, when the ancient cities of Babylon were the centres of art, learning and fabulous beauty'- Jewad SelimMotherhood is an undisputed icon of Iraqi sculpture and perhaps represents the apotheosis of Jewad Selim's work. The Baghdad School of Modern Art, co-founded by Selim, was deeply rooted in the countries glorious artistic past: the treasures of the Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian cultures of Mesopotamia, and by the great works of medieval Islamic craft. Concurrently, it was also inspired by the European avant-garde and its novel aesthetic experimentations, it was therefore always engaged in trying to create a distinctive style by combining elements of local heritage and currents of international artistic modernity. Motherhood is the perfect embodiment of this artistic agenda. The theme of the mother and child was one that inspired in Jewad a latent sense of belonging to his homeland and ignited his deep affection for his mother. He came to realise that this theme was one of the prime motives for the production of art in ancient Iraq, being the symbol of fertility in one of the earliest agricultural civilizations in history. Selim could be said to have discovered his cultural roots in the bosom of motherhood.Motherhood in this work is interpreted in a form of a crescent. The curved form inspired by a mother's body in an act of devotion, or a womb, ready to receive the ovule that hangs down by a thread connected to one of the two points of the crescent. The sculpture stands on a tripartite base that is suggestive of a woman's body in a state of labour. The star and crescent motif itself is a common feature of Sumerian iconography, the crescent usually being associated with the moon god Sin (Nanna) and the star with Ishtar (Inanna), often placed alongside the sun disk of Shamash.Owing to the difficulties in accessing foundries in Baghdad at the time Jewad only executed the present work in plaster and fruitwood, rather than in bronze. The work is therefore a sculpture in its own right rather than a study or a maquette, having been exhibited during Jewad's lifetime and featuring in his major 1968 posthumous retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in BaghdadSelim was fascinated by the works of Matisse, Picasso and perhaps most of all by Henry Moore, but was also greatly moved by Ancient Mesopotamian art as well as Egyptian and Arab Islamic arts. Henry Moore was a visiting lecturer at Slade School of Art when Jewad Selim was a student. The influence of Moore's sculptures on Jewad is asserted by Shakir Hassan Al-Said, Jewad's student and colleague in his book Fusoul min Tarikh al Haraka al Tashkiliya fil Iraq, Baghdad, 1983, part 1, p. 211. Moore's sculptures, which were heavily influenced by Mesopotamian art works, inspired Selim and led him to understand how this artist manipulated the rules of ancient Iraqi masters. What is particularly fascinating is the way that Selim takes visual cues from the Modern British sculptors active during his time at Slade, like Barbara Hepworth and her smooth curvilinear 'wave' forms, without necessary sharing the same conceptual or thematic agenda as his British counterparts 'For me, Ancient Mesopotamian sculpture ranks with Early Greek, Etruscan, Ancient Mexican, Fourth and Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian, and Romanesque and Early Gothic sculpture, as the great sculpture of the world. It shows a richness of feeling for life and its wonder and mystery, welded to direct plastic statement born of a real creative urge. It has a bigness and simplicity with no decorative trimmings But for me its greatest achievement is found in the free-standing pieces – sculpture in the round, which is fullest sculptural expression – and these have tremendous power and yet sensitiveness' - Henry MooreFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961)Preparatory sketch for the Freedom Monument, Baghdad mixed media on paper, framedsigned and dated '3 March 1959', inscribed 'Commemorative relief sculpture for the 14th July', inscribed with note on scale, countersigned by Rifat Chadirji130 x 30cm (51 3/16 x 11 13/16in).Footnotes:AN EXTREMELY RARE AND SIGNIFICANT COMPLETE, SCALED PREPARATORY SKETCH FOR BAGHDAD'S FREEDOM MONUMENT (Nasb al-Hurriyah)Provenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly by the above from Rifat Chadirji, who collaborated on the Freedom Monument with SelimOriginally executed in Florence by Jewad Selim, circa 1959'The revolution and subsequent rise of Abdul Kerim Qassim marked a significant turning point in Iraq's history. A great atmosphere of hope and new beginnings filled the air. Early in 1959 the new government asked Jewad and the architect Rifat Chadirji to create a monument to celebrate the achievements of the 1958 revolution on its first anniversary. Rifat was to design the wall of the monument and Jewad the figures. Jewad and I had serious discussions about his health and the danger of undertaking such a huge venture. He said that he did not want to spend the rest of his life as an invalid but rarely did an artist get the opportunity to create work on that scale - it was not to be missed.He completed the maquette in one week and prepared to travel to Italy where he would produce the full-size clay reliefs that would be cast in bronze. At the time there were no facilities in Baghdad to such large-scale work. He had planned to go on his own but then there was serious political unrest in Mosul and he decided to take the children and me with him. We just locked the door and went expecting to stay away for three months but ended up spending a year and a half. What a wonderful time it was! We spent the first month in Rome, then went to Florence where Jewad rented a studio in the Via degli Artisti to work on the reliefs. Here he produced many of the wonderful preparatory sketches The large, powerful, final series he gave to Rifat Chadriji. Some others are in Baghdad and some in the British museumThe bronze casting was executed in the foundry in Pistoia and Jewad went there to oversee the work. The two-year involvement with the monument exhausted Jewad completely and took the final toll on his health and he never saw his great work in its final position on the wall. he died of a massive heart attack on 23 January 1961, aged only forty one. It was incredible shock for all of us'- Lorna Selim, the artist's wife'And you the labourer will make all the beautiful things with your strong hands, for us, and for our children and our inheritors; how magnificent is your will to establish a new civilisation? And how wonderful was Jewad who conveyed this to the world and to the generations to come?'-Iraqi Broadcast on the occasion of the unveiling of the Monument to FreedomJewad Selim culminated his artistic achievements in producing his masterpiece The Monument of Freedom, commemorating the 1958 revolution. This mural, composed of fourteen sculpted reliefs, put the artist under great stress that would ultimately lead to his untimely death in January 1961. In this monumental work, reminiscent both of ancient Assyrian murals and dynamic art-deco friezes, Jewad weaves together the symbolic figures which makeup the pride and dignity of the Iraqi nation. This extremely important preparatory sketch was most likely executed during the artists excursion to Florence where he was co-ordinating the casting of the panels for the monumentThe present sketch, the most complete preparatory drawing of its kind, depicts the major sculptural elements which would make up the eventual monument. Centrally, the political prisoner is freed from jail bars beneath a rising sun, while protestors are depicted on the right fighting for their freedom holding sheaf's of wheat representing their hope of future prosperity, with an emphasis on feminine figures representing the role of Iraqi women in the revolution. On the left-hand side of the composition two women bearing children represent the Tigris and Euphrates, next to which are bulls, farmers and agricultural labourers, the patriots that will rebuild the brave new Iraq. On 14 July 1958, a group that identified as the Free Officers, a secret military group led by Brigadier Abd al-Karim Qasim, overthrew the monarchy. This group was markedly Pan-Arab in character. King Faisal II, Prince Abd al-Ilah, and Nuri al-Said were all killed. The Free Officers were inspired by and modelled after the Egyptian Free Officers who overthrew the Egyptian Monarchy in 1952. They represented all parties and cut across political factions. Qasim was a member of the generation that had launched the revolution in Egypt, and had grown up in an era where radicalism and Pan-Arabism were circulating in schools, including high schools and military academies. As a group, most of the Free Officers were Sunni Arabs who came from a modern middle class. The Free Officers were inspired by a number of events in the Middle East the decade before 1952. The 1948 War against Israel was an experience that intensified the Egyptian Free Officers' sense of duty. They understood their mission as deposing the corrupt regimes that weakened a unified Arab nation and thrown their countries into distress. The success of the Free Officers in overthrowing the Egyptian monarchy and seizing power in 1952 made Nasser a source of inspiration too.Showing some stylistic variation from the final monument, the present work nevertheless captures the key motifs of the immense sculpture that would come to be one of the defining landmarks of Modern Iraq.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961)Standing Woman glazed ceramic signed and dated 1949 on the baseHeight: 21 cmFootnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from the artist by the above'People have said for ages that a woman's hips are shaped like a vase. It is no longer poetic; it becomes a cliché. I take a vase and with it make a woman... I move from metaphor back to reality' – Pablo Picasso'My heaviest burden is to decide how to divide my energy between painting and sculpture. I think that someday I must give up one of them because my creative ability is split between the two. I am thinking of giving up painting for good.''- Jewad SelimThere was a huge emergence of studio pottery in Britain in the first half of the 20th century which left a profound impression on Jewad's practice. Studio potters such as Bernard Leach aimed to raise the profile and reputation of pottery to a level where it would be regarded as equal to painting and sculpture. This 1949 ceramic sculpture combines elements of Jewad's different practices, fusing both painting and sculpture. For Jewad there was something singular about the opportunities that working with clay provided for his creative process. Appreciating the plastic and technical possibilities of three-dimensional forms, he approached ceramics in a more playful and whimsical manner. Ceramics were both aesthetically pleasing but also functional, you could quickly and inexpensively create and experiment with this art form. There is a deliberate reference to ceramic traditions from all over the world, seen most strikingly in this depiction of a woman. This work exemplifies the dialogue between ancient and modern that characteristics Jewad's oeuvre.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Jewad Selim (Iraq, 1919-1961)Women Waiting oil on canvas, framedexecuted in 194343 x 30cm (16 15/16 x 11 13/16in).Footnotes:WOMEN WAITING: ONE OF JEWAD SELIM'S MOST SIGNIFICANT PAINTINGS'Artists were appalled at the conditions of poverty, illiteracy and subjugation of a lot of Iraqi women during this period in Iraq's history. They were concerned about the situation of illiterate women who were 'waiting' for marriage or who were forced to work as prostitutes. Jewad was very proud of his sister Neziha for having the courage to break out of the tradition of 'waiting' and leaving to study art in Paris. The painting will have been a statement of the plight of women at this time'- Miriam Selim, the artists daughterProvenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from the artist by the abovePublished:Exhibition Catalogue: Jewad Selim, National Museum of Modern Art, January 1968, Ministry of CultureExhibited:Jewad Selim, House of Nizar Ali Jawdat in 1950, Baghdad, Iraq, 1950, No.9 (the artists first solo exhibition)Jewad Selim, National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, January 1968Bonhams are most privileged to present perhaps one of the rarest and most sought after works of Iraqi art to come to auction in recent history, from the father of Iraqi Modernism, Jewad Selim.Jewad Selim painted Woman Waiting in 1943, the work was not only exhibited at Jewad's first ever solo exhibition in the house of Ali Jawdat Ayoubi, but also featured in his major 1968 retrospective at the Baghdad National Museum.Executed in Jewad's key transitional period; during a five year stay in Baghdad after returning from Rome and before enrolling at the Slade, the work is a powerful and unique commentary on the plight of Iraqi women, and perhaps one of the first overtly feminist artworks painted in the Middle EastIn this painting Jewad depicts the prostitutes that loitered in the back alleys of Baghdad, entreating business for passers by. Far from being a merely literal appreciation of its subject matter, Jewad's depiction of the women is a wider commentary on the plight of a generation of Iraqi women whose fate and destiny were tied to the men for whom they were 'waiting'; this including not only Women Waiting for male custom, but for girls waiting to be betrothed whose transition to adulthood depended on the presence of a male provider.Mixing traditional Iraqi and Islamic motifs with a modernist visual language, Selim weaves a form of 'folk modernism' which is both vernacular and universal. Focusing on the florid landscape of downtown Baghdad, Selim's composition is populated with the humorous and extravagant characters encountered in everyday life. Light hearted and boisterous, the 'Women Waiting' is in part a stylistically sophisticated example of a burgeoning modernist movement in Iraq and in part a playful take on life in streets of Baghdad.Jewad was sent to Europe on government scholarships to further his art education, first to Paris (1938-39) and then to Rome (1939-40). The affects of World War II resulted in Jewad cutting short his studies and returning to Baghdad, where he began part-time work at the Directorate of Antiquities, where he developed an appreciation and understanding of ancient art of his country, and he also taught at the Institute of Fine Arts and founded the sculpture department. During this wartime period in Baghdad, Jewad and a group of Iraqi artists became acquainted with several Polish officers who were painters, two of whom had studied with Pierre Bonnard. The Polish artists introduced the young Iraqis to the latest European styles and concepts, leading Jewad to comment in his diary that after discussion with the Poles, he understood the importance of colour and its application; and only then was he able to fully understand the works of European artists such as Rembrandt, Goya and Cezanne.'...A new trend in painting will solve the identity crisis in our contemporary awakening, by following the footsteps of the thirteenth century Iraqi masters. The new generation of artists finds the beginning of a guiding light in the early legacy of their forefathers' – Jewad SelimFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lorna Selim (Iraq, 1928-2021)Architectural Composition II oil on board, framedsigned and dated 196540 x 200cm (15 3/4 x 78 3/4in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from the artist by the above Bonhams is privileged to present a highly significant and comprehensive set of works by the female artist Lorna Selim. Born in 1928 in Sheffield, Lorna was the wife of the renowned Iraqi modernist Jewad Selim. She received a scholarship to study at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London where she received a diploma in painting and design in 1948. It was there that she met Jewad Selim and in 1950 they got married in Baghdad. She became a member of the Bagdad Modern Art Group founded by her husband and Shakir Hassan Al Said and became a prominent figure in Baghdad's art scene.In 1961, Jewad Selim passed away suddenly at the age of only 41 years old in the midst of a project to complete a major monumental sculpture entitled Nasb Al Hurriyah or 'The Freedom Monument' for the Baghdad's city centre. Following his death, Lorna, along with architect Rifat Chadirji supervised the completion of this iconic monument. In the 1960s, Lorna taught drawing at Baghdad University's Department of Architecture headed by the prominent Iraqi architect Mohamed Makiya. As a teacher she encouraged her students to sketch structures along the Tigris and exposed her young architects to Iraq's vernacular structures, alley-ways and historical monuments. This work cultivated and inspired a generation of architects to consider including Iraqi design alongside modern Western architecture in their designs. Lorna was fascinated by the traditional Iraqi housing found along the banks of the Tigris river, from the bayoot (houses) and the mudhif (reed dwellings). Not long after her arrival in Baghdad, the city underwent a period of 'modernisation,' and many traditional houses were being demolished. She would rush to make sketches of the structures before they were lost permanently. Lorna began by sketching a building then she would return home to start the layout of the painting. She would then return to the building to sketch the finer details and note down the colours. Between 1957 and 1963, she sketched many vernacular buildings and homes.Lorna illustrates Baghdad's architecture in her work through abstract forms of simple lines giving hieratic postures to the figures in their daily lives. And with an earthy colour palette, she celebrates the ancient culture from Mesopotamia using symbols from the Iraqi environment such as palm trees or crescent.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Dia Azzawi (Iraq, born 1939)Oh Ali! oil on canvas, framedsigned and dated 1964 78 x 82cm (30 11/16 x 32 5/16in).Footnotes:A HIGHLY IMPORTANT 1964 PAINTING BY DIA AZZAWI FROM HIS FIRST EVER SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE AL-WASITI GALLERYProvenance:Property from a private collection, EnglandFormerly property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Said Ali Madhloom (1921-2017)Acquired directly from the artist by the aboveExhibited:Baghdad, Al-Wasiti Gallery, The First Exhibition of Paintings by Dia Azzawi, 1965Published:Baghdad, Al-Wasiti Gallery, Exhibition Catalogue, The First Exhibition of Paintings by Dia Azzawi, 1965'After 1963 it became clear for many artists that one-man shows were more important than group exhibitions with others, which had been the norm in the fifties. What was it like to work during that period? It wasn't really that easy because of the chaos and the politics and the uncertainty for most artists and writers. Some of them left Baghad to work in Beirut, others left to different parts of the world. For me, when I had my own first one-man show, in 1965 at Al-Wasiti Gallery, it was there that I met Kadhim Haider, Ismail Fattah and other artists, it was obvious that I was an artist who tried to be involved in the identity question which had been raised by the Baghdad Group of Modern Art'-Dia AzzawiThe present work is one of Dia Azzawi's most significant works to come to auction and participated in his maiden solo exhibition at Baghdad's Al-Wasiti Gallery in 1965. Replete with rich symbolism, it is from one of the artists earliest bodies of work exploring the role and significance of folkloric, popular religious and cultural iconography in modern painting.As Saleem Al-Baholy notes, 'stylistically, Azzawi's work of the early 1960s remained more figurative with stronger ties to mythology and history, which was the thread that maintained his connection to the Baghdad Group of Modern Art as their anticipated inheritor who could further their goals. Equally, Azzawi's use of colour reflected the inspiration of his teacher Faeq Hassan. He was thus able to negotiate two distinct strands of development in modern Iraqi art: the philosophical abstractions of Iraqi Signs and symbols by the Baghdad Group of Modern Art and Faeq Hassan's mastery of technique. In the present work the artist abstracts cultural iconography mixing Islamic and pre-Islamic motifs found in ancient rock reliefs, Islamic manuscripts, metalwork and creates a rich tapestry of varied meaning as a result. The dominant feature, the central hand reading Ya Ali! Is a popular sculptural motif forged as part of the 'alam', the large sculptural standard which accompanies Sh'iite martyrdom rituals.Azzawi's abiding love and respect for the tonal characteristics of the natural world and for ancient Iraqi imagery shines through in this important early work, which echoes the formal approach and inimitable style of the 'New Vision' school of painting he would come to found in 1969. Azzawi typically incorporates structures and visual symbolism harking back millennia in his paintings, which is evident here in the pseudo-figurative form depicted in the composition, which recalls ancient Mesopotamian bass-reliefs and their mythological imagery.Azzawi started his artistic career in 1964, after graduating from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and completing a degree in archaeology from Baghdad University in 1962. His studies of ancient civilizations and Iraqi heritage had a profound impact on his art, and a key objective in the early formation of his artistic style was to link the visual culture of the past to the present.In 1969, Azzawi formed the New Vision Group (al-Ru'yya al-Jadidah), uniting fellow artists ideologically and culturally as opposed to stylistically. The group's manifesto, Towards a New Vision, highlighted an association between art and revolution, and sought to transcend the notion of a 'local style'—coined by the Baghdad Modern Art Group—by broadening the parameters of local culture to include the entire Arab world.With exhibitions of his work held worldwide, including a landmark retrospective in 2017 at Qatar's MATHAF, his art features in the collections of some of the world's most prestigious museums and institutions. He is also regarded, in the tumultuous post-conflict climate of 2000s Iraq, considered to be the ultimate authority on modernist and contemporary art from the region.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Faeq Hassan (Iraq, 1914-1992)El-Allabat (The Curd Sellers) oil on canvassigned lower left, executed circa early 1950's90 x 80cm (35 7/16 x 31 1/2in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Mohammed Saleh Makiya (1914-2015)Thence by descent to the present ownerExhibited:Baghdad, Iraqi Art Exhibition held at the Mansour Club, 1957.Published:Exhibition Catalogue, Iraqi Art Exhibition held at the Mansour Club, 1957.Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Art in Iraq Today, Stephen Austin and Sons, 1961Rawi, N. (1962). Ta'ammulat fi al-fann al-Iraqi al-hadith. Contemplations on Modern Art in Iraq. Baghdad: Mudiriyat al-Funun wa-al-Thaqafah al Shabiyah bi-Wizarat al-Irshad. Ahmed Naji, Under the Palm Trees, Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, 2019, Rizzoli International, Page 86El-AllabatFaeq HassanDr Ahmed Naji'Upon his return to Iraq in 1938, Faeq Hassan played a pioneering and pivotal role in art education in Iraq, firstly at the Fine Art Institute, and subsequently at the Academy of Fine Art which became affiliated with Baghdad University and where Hassan was awarded the title Professor of Art; one of only two artists to hold this title, the other artist was his former student and colleague Ismail al-Sheikhly (Iraq 1924-2002). Outside teaching, Hassan is credited with forming several groups over the years , the first of which was in the late 1940s under the name Société Primitive (S.P. group), which was also known as Ar-Ruwaad (The Pioneers) and they held their first group exhibition in 1950. Hassan led the artists on picnics and travels to different areas in Baghdad and beyond to draw local scenes and landscapes.One of the main themes that Hassan focused on during this period was local peasants and Bedouins in different settings; such as the mudhif (guest house), the coffee house, as well as various roles including the water carriers, the bakers, the farmers and so on. The role depicted in this painting is that of the women who sell buffalo curd at dawn in Baghdad, locally termed as العلابات (El-Allabat – translated as the Packers referring to the packs of buffalo curd stacked on their heads or on the ground beside them). This painting was exhibited at a historic exhibition in 1957 (the same year of the painting) at al Mansour Club in Baghdad, organised by Mohamed Makiya as the president of the newly formed Iraqi Artists Association (established a few months earlier in 1956) and Ali Haider al-Rikabi; the director of the Mansour Club and son of a prominent politician and advisor to King Faisal I. The painting was one of five exhibited by the artist and was considered a prominent example of his work as it was published in one of the first official art publications in 1962 by the artist Nouri al-Rawi ; who was the first director of the National Museum of Modern Art in Iraq founded in July 1962. The female peasants in this painting feature as an architectonic composition with a dark palette of the dawn in Baghdad. Hassan shows his masterful technique in composition, colours, and material as a master-teacher of painting in Iraq. This painting particularly reflects a dynamic competitive interaction Hassan enjoyed with two other artist-educators; Jewad Selim (Turkey 1919 – Iraq 1961) and Hafidh al-Droubi (Iraq 1941 – 1991) and their respective art groups; Baghdad Modern Art (1951) and the Impressionists (1953). Mohamed Makiya enjoyed the fruits of such noble competition between Hassan and Selim and based on Selim's recommendation Makiya bought this painting from the exhibition.The geometric forms of the women against the background architecture is a prime example of his 1950s quasi-cubist architectonic abstraction as he explains 'the figures appear to me as part of the location/space, as if time made them something special' . Hassan then controls his composition with colours which are his 'means to read the subject undoubtedly...' . The colourist master-teacher captures darkness of the dawn with the ushering glimpses of sunrise. Hassan utilises the red as the focal point of the painting, as he considers red to be 'the centre of the image and its vibrancy as it attracts attention more than any other colour. However, the red is never alone as it is linked to a certain group of colours' as we see in the contrasting lilacs and blues as well as the harmonising browns. While Hassan was later known for experimentation with different art styles, he concentrated on one theme, the Iraqi locale. This experimentation and shifting in styles continued and dominated Hassan's oeuvre in a manner that leaves only one constant defining feature, namely technique. Al Said explained 'Faeq Hassan is [technical]. Perhaps he is also a pioneer of a technique-based vision. However, Hassan's teaching commitments had distracted him perhaps from formalising such a vision and demonstrating it comprehensively' . Al Said based his classification of Hassan based on the fact that he considered Hassan to be a 'teacher first and foremost, then he is an artist with his own style and periods' . Hassan is a master of colour, not bounded by a style or a technique, as Nazar Salim noted 'He is a skilful master who knows the secrets of colours and forms – so skilful that he approximates to the master of the Renaissance' . As such, certain paintings by Hassan serve as milestones in his varied journey, of which this painting can be considered a prime example of the 1950s period.' Dr Ahmed Naji is an independent researcher and cultural advisor on art in Iraq and the Arab world. He is the author of Under the Palm Trees: Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, Rizzoli New York, 2019. (Instagram: Ahmednaji_Al Said)Faeq Hassan is often referred to as the father of Iraqi modern art. During his artistic career he took on many roles within the burgeoning Iraqi art scene, including educator and founder. In the crucial decades of the 1940s and 50s, Hassan was devoted to the creation of an art form that would express the growing feelings of national pride amongst Iraqi citizens. He was also interested in developing his own technical skill and that of his students. In later decades, Hassan would remain a leading artist in Iraq and his artistic legacy continues to be a powerful influence.Hassan's artistic aptitude was awarded in 1933 when he became the second recipient of a government-funded scholarship to study art in Europe. He travelled to France and enrolled at the Ècole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In Paris, Hassan had a fairly traditional education in the arts. He participated in art history and studio classes while completing art projects based on copying master works. Hassan was also introduced to important figures of European modernism. He was especially impressed with artists like Matisse and Delacroix, paying specific attention to their use of colour. Like many art students, Hassan spent his years in Paris synthesising aspects of his education and life experiences into a workable artistic practice. Hassan returned to Baghdad after receiving his degree in 1938. Soon after, he accepted a position at the Institute of Fine Art in Baghdad as the director of the Department of Painting and Sculpture. During his tenure at the institute, which continued until 1962, Hassan introduced courses based on Western painting techniques, as well as classes for the study of Islamic and Arab folk arts, like pottery and metalwork. He also went to great lengths to develop the efficacy of the department by training future teachers and procuring basic art supplies and gypsum models. In conjunction with his job as an administrator, Hassan was an involved teacher.Coupled with his work as an educator, Hassan participated i... 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Shakir Hassan Al Said (Iraq, 1925-2004)Hob al-Watan min al Iman (Loving the Homeland is Part of Faith) mixed media on wooden panelsigned and dated 1982110 x 90cm (43 5/16 x 35 7/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from the collection of the renowned Iraqi architect Mohammed Saleh Makiya (1914-2015)Thence by descent to the present ownerExhibited:The Commemorative Exhibition of Shakir Hassan Al-Said, Salam House, The Humanitarian Dialogue Foundation, 2011Published:Catalogue of The Commemorative Exhibition of Shakir Hassan Al-Said, Salam House, The Humanitarian Dialogue Foundation, 2011Ahmed Naji, Under the Palm Trees, Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, 2019, Rizzoli International'The wall for Al Said since late 1970s was a 'mirror of reality' with all its cracks, marks, and graffiti . Al Said's wall paintings are a static surface with a dynamic record''Loving the homeland is part of faith'Shakir Hassan Al SaidBy Dr Ahmed Naji25 April 2021In 1983, the same year in which this outstanding artwork by Al Said was made, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra wrote in his famous concise survey of art in Iraq : 'No Iraqi artist has written about art in general, and about the artist's reflections on his own work in particular, as much as Shakir Hassan al Said.' Jabra went on to explain the significance of Al Said's writing not only on his art but also on Iraqi art in general; 'His writings over the last twenty-five years have come to form a sort of a body of doctrine which, though not easy to define, has had a considerable influence on the direction the Iraqi art movement has sometimes taken after Jewad Selim's death.' Reflecting on art to Al Said was an integral part of his art, as much as art was an integral part of his thought and existence. The artist had a progressive diverse oeuvre, though equally not easy to sum up, that is akin to a scientist looking into the entire universe through a powerful microscope; with every increasing power of magnification, a new layer of the universe is revealed without losing its relation to the preceding or succeeding layers. In his early career with Jewad Selim and the Baghdad Modern Art Group of 1951, he used figurative representation as a medium for appropriating Iraq's ancient heritage through an international modernist art lens in dialogue with cubism, fauvism etc, to create a local art movement. A few years later, during his studies in Paris between 1955 and 1959, Al Said discovered the importance of the surface texture of the artwork made by the layers of paint, instead of figurative representation, as the connection between the ancient, modern and contemporary art. Al Said discovered that texture was the essence which he saw daily in Paris both in Mesopotamian art in the Louvre and the modern art on display in the art galleries of Rue de Seine. This discovery; which he termed as 'a time-period migration towards modern art' , unlocked a technical paradigm that transformed his art in the subsequent years. The objective of Al Said's reflection was and remains to seek 'a truth that keeps escaping the frameworks of material or subjective reality' . As an artist, he sought and expressed the truth by distinctly evolving his art from the 'figure' or 'shape' to the 'trace' which serves as medium to connect the self/person directly with the world through the artwork, without a perceived mediation of the artist himself. In 1973, Al Said utilised the Arabic letter as a tool to etch space and time on the surface of the artwork in a meticulous harmony between the artist, the artwork, and the environment; a practice and theory he termed as One Dimension . The environment we see in Houb al-watan min al-iman (Loving the homeland is part of faith), which was exhibited in Baghdad in 1983 is a wall from the early years of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) made of white cement and plaster, it resembles many walls that survived the aerial bombardment which the artist examined and reflected upon, for example, during his visit to Mandali , the town on the Iraq-Iran border to the east of Baghdad. The wall for Al Said since late 1970s was a 'mirror of reality' with all its cracks, marks, and graffiti . Al Said's wall paintings are a static surface with a dynamic record, as much as the mirror is a static piece of glass with a dynamic reflection of its surroundings, except that Al Said scores his walls with temporal and spatial codes that draws the viewer to delve into a deeper world, through the One Dimension of the surface and interpretation of the written letter. The word Houb (Love) captures the attention as the rest of the sentence gradually disappears into the whiteness of the scored cement. Al Said's love for his homeland during the war exists and persists like the multi-layered graffiti slogan 'Loving the homeland is part of faith' on the richly textured surface of the painting, a metaphor for the rugged and embattled Iraq. The popular slogan in this painting's graffiti resurfaces every now and again during different periods in Iraq, such as the war against ISIS in recent years, while many walls in Iraq still carry the scars of wars in a solemn remembrance of those who lost their homeland, or their lives, or both. This painting serves a spatio-temporal marker placed by Al Said in the physical and meta-physical conscience as an indelible trace of the truth. Born in Samawah, Iraq, in 1925, Shakir Hassan Al Said studied social sciences at Baghdad's Higher Institute of Teachers, obtaining his BA in 1948. He initially worked as a teacher of Social Sciences at Malak Secondary Education, the Ministry of Education from 1949 to 1954 before studying painting at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and teaching art education later on. After his graduation in 1954, he received state scholarships to pursue his studies abroad. From 1955 to 1959, he studied painting and art history in Paris, at the Académie Julien, the École des Arts Décoratifs, and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.On his return to Baghdad, he taught art history at the Institute of Fine Arts from 1970 to 1980, and also taught painting and art history at the Institute of Art Education in Saudi Arabia from 1968 to 1969. From 1980 to 1983, he headed the Department of Aesthetic Studies at the Ministry of Culture and Information. In 1992, he worked as a counselor at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in Amman, Jordan.In 1994, he founded the symposium of Aesthetic Discourse at the Saddam Art Center in Baghdad. Al Said was also a Member of the National Committee League of Art Critics, the Iraqi Artists Syndicate, the Society of Iraqi Plastic Artists and the Iraqi Teachers' Syndicate. He stayed in Baghdad until his death in 2004.Dr Ahmed Naji is an independent researcher and cultural advisor on art in Iraq and the Arab world. He is the author of Under the Palm Trees: Modern Iraqi Art with Mohamed Makiya and Jewad Selim, Rizzoli New York, 2019. (Instagram: ahmednaji_alsaid)For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lorna Selim (Iraq, 1928-2021)The Lemon Sellers oil on board, framedsigned 'Lorna Selim' and dated '1956' in Arabic (lower right), executed in 195645 x 60cm (17 11/16 x 23 5/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private UK Collection, acquired directly from the artist in Baghdad circa 1950'sExhibited:National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, January 1968.'She came to Iraq with a good eye and sense of proportion, and she loved what she saw here. You have to love to do good work' - Jewad SelimThe present lot is a rare and exceptional early composition by Lorna Selim executed in the inimitable style of the Baghdad Modern Art Group. Mixing traditional Iraqi motifs with a modernist visual language, Lorna, like her illustrious husband Jewad, weaved form of 'folk modernism' which was both vernacular and universal.Focusing on the florid landscape of downtown Baghdad, Selim's compositions are populated with the humorous and extravagant characters encountered in everyday life. Light hearted and boisterous, the 'Lemon Sellers' is in part a stylistically sophisticated example of a burgeoning modernist movement in Iraq and in part a playful take on life in streets of Baghdad.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ARAR Goods subject to Artists Resale Right Additional Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (Iran, born 1937)ZAMIN LARZEH acrylic on canvas, framedsigned and dated 1971150 x 134cm (59 1/16 x 52 3/4in).Footnotes:'To create a painting, I begin with the preliminary study, which consists of sketches on paper, followed immediately by the painting of letters and colouring on canvas... I am thus able to immediately express my spontaneous feelings on canvas. Sometimes I leave a canvas to work on another, this is like improvisation in music, for I treasure freedom more than anything else. I couldn't be what I am if I didn't have freedom to express my lyricism. I don't believe in teaching painting, since I do not believe that technical training is required to make one a great painter. Painting can be done with any tool or any piece of equipment, I believe all schools of fine art, all over the world, should be shut down'- Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, Midi Libre, No 9401, 9 April 1971Provenance:Property from a private French collectionCharles Hossein Zenderoudi is one of Iran's most accomplished modern artists, as a founding father Iranian neo-traditionalism Zenderoudi is a master of blending traditional Persian motif's within a distinctly avant-garde aesthetic.His choice of subject matter, calligraphy, has historically been the most established mode of formal artistic expression prevalent in Iran, but, by emphasising form over meaning, and by stripping the written word down to its aesthetic, structural, fundaments, Zenderoudi subverts the traditional values of Persian calligraphy. Zenderoudi's text is intentionally illegible and carries no literal meaning, freeing it from the constraint of linguistic limitation, and imbuing it with a sense of universality which rescues the archaic practice of calligraphy from obscurity, giving it renewed relevance in a contemporary context.Zenderoudi's compositions pay homage to centuries of Persian religious imagery and employ a systematic repetition of letter-forms that finds its genesis in the mystical practice of Sufi numerologists, who believed in the spiritual significance of singular letters and worked these principles into hugely intricate talismanic charts. Zenderoudi's methodical compositions, whilst not accurately following the grammar or axioms of numerology, capture the aesthetic and conceptual qualities of its cryptic nature.Zenderoudi's early works focused on dense talismanic imagery, mixing iconography, freehand script and numerals. The density of these compositions sought to capture the visual intensity of popular religious expression in Iran, where banners, standards, altars, murals and mosques exuberantly adorn the urban landscape.Works from the present series, composed in the 1970's, mark a shift towards a more avant-garde, patterned, technical and measured approach to calligraphy. The crowded iconography of the early works is replaced by a greater focus on singular and recurring letter-forms, which exhibit a formal refinement lacking in their earlier counterparts. The present work also marks a conceptual shift away from the more overtly traditional subject matters and more towards a pure, patterned aesthetic which emphasises the meditative and visual elements of letter depiction over their linguistic connotation.Measured but spontaneous, technical yet effuse, Zenderoudi' manipulates Persian calligraphy with effortless ease, boasting a visual scope which faithfully captures the salient elements of Iran's traditional popular religious aesthetic. Rendered with the use of rich and vibrant colours, his canvases replicate the tonal and textural qualities of the votive art so common to the Iranian urban landscape.Almost rhythmic in its grace, balance and composition, the present work is one of the finest examples of Zenderoudi's work from this period.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Hossein Kazemi (Iran, 1924-1996)Flower oil on board, framedexecuted circa 1970's110 x 90cm (43 5/16 x 35 7/16in).Footnotes:'There is one earthly principle and one heavenly principle, and plant by growing roots into the earth and spouting towards the heavens faces both principles, unites them and unifies their contrasts.' -Hossein KazemiProvenance:Property from a private collection, DubaiAcquired directly by the above from Mah Art GalleryOne of the most prominent Iranian artists of his generation, Hossein Kazemi began his career in 1940s by focusing on figurative art. Portraits of popular figures such as Sadegh Hedayat drew attention. However, Kazemi's artistic style began evolving as he started experimenting with Cubism and became fascinated by Western Modernism.In 1953, Kazemi moved to Paris and entered the 'Ecole des Beaux Arts'. Aware of his Iranian heritage, Kazemi was eager to search for a style that would incorporate Persian elements and also be modern. As the artist's work became more abstract, his inspiration by certain elements from Persian art remained evident. His interest in stylized forms from Ancient Persia, miniature paintings, ceramic tiles and manuscript illuminations are reflected on his canvases. Kazemi arrived at his desired composition and form, with its harmonious colours: a wide range of blues and violets, variations of semi-abstract objects such as stones and flowers and thick layers of pigment, which became his signature style.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam (Iran, 1924-2018)Line in the Sand mixed media with sand on canvassigned 'M.Vaziri' and dated '2000' (lower right), executed in 2000100 x 70cm (39 3/8 x 27 9/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, Dubai'Painting is not a reconstruction of objective reality, the artist has to create something that never existed before'- Mohsen VaziriA pioneer of Iranian Modern art, Mohsen Vaziri was born in Tehran in 1924. In 1943, he attended the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran. He had his first solo art exhibition at the Iran-America Society in 1952. Vaziri left to Europe in 1955 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan where he learned about the western modern and contemporary art movements. In 1956, he had his first exhibition in Italy at the Portonovo Art Gallery in Rome and later that year in Germany at the Die Brucke Gallery in Düsseldorf and the Stenzel Gallery in Munich. In 1957, Mohsen Vaziri's artistic career took a turning as he moved away from figurative painting into non-objective or abstract art. He attended Italian artist Toti Scialoja's classes at the Academy. It was during those six months that Vaziri began exercising the depth of his imagination and experimenting with the use of materials, space, form and composition.This monumental work from the sand paintings series was conceived in 1959. Vaziri focused on working with sand for four years using different types of sands and applying them on canvas mixed with colour or in their natural state. While seeking for his individual style, in the spring of 1959 he found his source of inspiration on the shores of Lake Albano. The traces of his hands in the sand caught his attention and his childhood memories by the sea came flooding back. He went back to Rome and began experimenting playfully with sand and transferring the patterns onto primed canvases, which lead him to create his most powerful and ground-breaking works. He successfully evolved a richly emotive expressive style through colour, space and form. This series of works grabbed the attention of many including some of the most prominent Italian art critics at the time and in 1964 MoMA acquired one of his sand paintings for their permanent collection. He then went on to win several awards and his sand paintings have appeared in several Biennales across the world.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Ramses Younan (Egypt, 1913-1966)Untitled oil on canvas, framedexecuted circa 1964-6650 x 72cm (19 11/16 x 28 3/8in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, BeirutChristies, Dubai: Modern & Contemporary Art, October 2015, lot 47Notes:Sylvie and Sonia Younan and Jean Colombain have kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work. This work will be included in the forthcoming Ramsès Younan Catalogue raisonné.Younan was an artist, writer and political activist. In the late 1930s he co-founded the Egyptian surrealist group Art and Freedom. He believed in the revolutionary power of the imagination, and used the unconscious mind as a source for his art. Starting from an initial improvisation he would develop and refine the surface of his paintings to produce complex abstract compositions. Here forms seem to dissolve and merge into each other. The colours resemble those of an Egyptian earthen landscape.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Ismael Fattah (Iraq, 1934-2004)Standing Nudes ink on paper, framedsigned 'Ismael Fattah' and dated '88' in Arabic and English (lower left), executed in 1988101 x 69cm (39 3/4 x 27 3/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from a private collection, UK'With Ismail Fattah who like Rahal and Ghani also studied inRome –his works are related to his country's experience by virtue of their themes rather than their actual style. His beautiful statue of the great Abbasid poet Abu Nuwas may look like a Gothic Christ, but he knows it. He knows his bronzes owe more to modern sculpture than to Sumer or Assyria. To him, this is a technical point which is no cause for worry as long as he can express his Iraqi themes in a manner related to the present. If his style, which has its emphatic qualities, derives from contemporary [art], his confidence may lie in the fact that [art] in our time derives from a vast mixture of cultures mostly medieval or ancient, and especially middle-eastern' - Jabra Ibrahim JabraFor further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Nouri Al-Rawi (Iraq, 1925-2014)Waiting at Rawi oil on canvas, framedsigned 'Nouri Al-Rawi' and dated '1976' in Arabic (lower left), executed in 1976100 x 108cm (39 3/8 x 42 1/2in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from the collection of the late Michael William Palmer, an American Civil Engineer and Art Collector based in Iraq 1976-1980Thence by descent to the present owner, TexasNoori Al Rawi is remembered as one of the pioneers of Iraqi modern art. We are delighted to present these two superlative manifestations of the artist's work from the 1970s that capture his immense skill and technique. These hauntingly beautiful works instil a dreamlike quality through his use of distilled colours and textures which is visible in all his paintings. His work often portrays mystical oriental towns built around his magical childhood village of Rawa, in the Ambar province of Iraq. Al Rawi was a multi-disciplinary artist ahead of his time, for he was not only an artist, but he was also a prolific writer, art historian, and art critic. He is famous for writing one of the earliest books documenting Iraqi art, titled Reflections on Modern Iraqi Art, 1962 as well as a few other books on art history such as Introduction to Iraqi Folklore, 1962 and Jewad Salem, 1963.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Nouri Al-Rawi (Iraq, 1925-2014)The Songbird oil on canvas, framedsigned 'Nouri Al-Rawi' and dated '1976', executed in 197693 x 65cm (36 5/8 x 25 9/16in).Footnotes:Provenance:Property from the collection of the late Michael William Palmer, an American Civil Engineer and Art Collector based in Iraq 1976-1980Thence by descent to the present owner, Texas'I met Nouri Al Rawi in the period of 1978 to 1979 in Baghdad, Iraq. While I only visited his studio once, I remember the multitude of artist works filling every room in his home. He was already famous, and yet he was very cordial in his meeting with me, a fan of his work. I purchased one painting directly from him and one from an exhibition of his work at the Iraq Museum of Modern Art.'This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
ROLEXDaytona. Armbanduhr. Herkunft: Schweiz. Datierung: 2002. Werk: Cal. 4130, automatischer Chronograph. Gehäuse/Armband: Stahl, Oysterband matt/poliert, Cream-Dial, vormals weiß. Gesamtgewicht: ca. 137,0 g. Größe: Länge 21,5 cm, Ø 41,0 mm. Gehäuse-Nr.: P297048. Referenz-Nr.: 116520. Beschreibung: Automatischer Chronograph, Sekundenanzeige bei "6", 12-Stunden- und Minutenzähler, Edelstahllünette, verschraubte Krone und Drücker.Revision Wempe Januar 2018, Ersatz der Zeiger und der Stahllünette.Box, Garantiekarte von Mai 2002 anbei. Servicekarte Rolex Dezember 2017.1 zusätzliches Bandelement anbei.Der Rolex Daytona Chronograph wurde speziell für Rennfahrer entwickelt und ist einer der berühmtesten Zeitmesser und ein begehrtes Sammlerstück. Heute ist die Stahl-Daytona für viele ein Objekt des Verlangens, auch weil Hollywoodstar Paul Newman eine frühe Variante des Modells trug. Nicht nur das zeitlose Design zieht viele Sammler und Liebhaber an, auch ist die Uhr ein relevantes Stück Motorsportgeschichte. Am Strand von Daytona, Florida, fanden bereits ab 1903 Geschwindigkeitsrennen statt. Ab 1959 wurden die Rennen auf dem Daytona International Speedway abgehalten. Hier startete Rolex 1962 sein Engagement als offizieller Zeitnehmer und bereits ein Jahr später erschien der Cosmograph Referenz 6239. Den Beinamen "Daytona" gab Rolex ihm noch im selben Jahr, um seine Verbindung zu den Rennen zu verdeutlichen.Im Jahr 1988 war die mechanische Uhr bereits ein Relikt aus alter Zeit; die Quarztechnik war die präferierte Wahl bei Zeitmessern. Rolex entschied sich in dieser Phase, die Daytona zur Automatikuhr weiterzuentwickeln. Das Werk stammte allerdings nicht aus eigener Fertigung, sondern von Zenith. Das El Primero Werk, das seit 1969 nahezu unverändert gebaut wird, wurde von Rolex stark überarbeitet, und nannte sich fortan Kaliber 4030. Das spiegelte sich auch auf dem Zifferblatt wider. Aus dem Schriftzug "Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona" wurde "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified". In der Welt der Kunst ist es oft so, dass bestimmte Zufälle bei der Herstellung eines Stücks dieses noch wertvoller macht. Dies ist auch der Fall bei der hier angebotenen Uhr. Zwischen den Jahren 2000 und 2002 brachte Rolex die Daytona 116520 auf den Markt, die mit dem ersten vollständig hauseigenen Kaliber 4130 ausgestattet wurde. Nach einigen Jahren stellte man fest, dass sich das Zifferblatt verfärbt: die hell-weißen Zifferblätter wurden off-white, crème oder sogar rosa. Da dies nur bei den ersten beiden Produktionsjahren auftritt, kann man davon ausgehen, dass entweder Rolex selbst oder der Lieferant dieses doch so glückliche Missgeschick wieder behoben hat. In Anbetracht der Attraktivität und des Sammlerwertes von Farbwechsel-Zifferblättern zählt das Cream Dial Zifferblatt 116520 zu einer der begehrtesten Variationen der modernen Rolex-Produktion. Der hier angebotene Chronograph kommt komplett mit seiner originalen Rolex-Box und Papieren. Zustand C:Werk: guter Zustand, Revision 2017. Zifferblatt: guter Zustand, leicht oxidiert, Zeiger verfärbt. Gehäuse: sehr guter Zustand, leicht verkratzt, leichte Tragespuren, aufgearbeitet, Lünette ersetzt, Band Original, Politurspuren. Erläuterungen zum KatalogRolex Schweiz Armband- & Taschenuhren Armbanduhr Cal. 4130, automatischer Chronograph 2000er Stahl Schweiz ROLEXDaytona. Wristwatch. Origin: Switzerland. Date: 2002. Clockwork: Cal. 4130, automatic chronograph. Case/Wristband: Steel, steel bezel, steel oyster strap band matted/polished, Ref. 7890, hands cream-dial, formerly white index. Total Weight: ca. 137.0 g. Measurement: Length 21.5 cm, 41.0 mm incl. crown. Case-No: P297048. Reference-No: 116520. Description: Automatic chronograph, second indication at "6", 12-hour and minute counters, stainless steel bezel, screw-down crown and pushers.Revision Wempe January 2018, replacement of the hands and steel bezel.Box, warranty card from May 2002 enclosed. Service card Rolex December 2017.1 additional strap element enclosed.Designed specifically for racing drivers, the Rolex Daytona Chronograph is one of the most famous timepieces and a sought-after collector's item. Today, the steel Daytona is an object of desire for many, partly because Hollywood star Paul Newman wore an early variant of the model. Not only does the timeless design attract many collectors and enthusiasts, but the watch is also a relevant piece of motorsport history. Speed races were held on the beach at Daytona, Florida, as early as 1903. From 1959, the races were held at the Daytona International Speedway. It was here that Rolex began its involvement as official timekeeper in 1962, and the Chromograph reference 6239 appeared just one year later. Rolex gave it the nickname "Daytona" in the same year to emphasize its connection to the races.By 1988, the mechanical watch was already a relic of the old days; quartz technology was the preferred choice for timepieces. Rolex decided at this stage to upgrade the Daytona to an automatic watch. The movement, however, was not made in-house, but by Zenith. The El Primero movement, which had been built almost unchanged since 1969, was heavily revised by Rolex and henceforth called calibre 4030. This was also reflected on the dial. The words "Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona" became "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified". In the world of art, it is often the case that certain coincidences in the making of a piece make it even more valuable. This is also the case with the watch offered here. Between the years 2000 and 2002, Rolex launched the Daytona 116520, which was equipped with the first entirely in-house calibre 4130. After a few years, it was noticed that the dial changed colour: the bright white dials became off-white, cream or even pink. Since this only occurs in the first two years of production, it can be assumed that either Rolex itself or the supplier has rectified this rather fortunate mishap. Considering the attractiveness and collector's value of colour-change dials, the Cream Dial 116520 is one of the most sought-after variations of modern Rolex production. The chronograph offered here comes complete with its original Rolex box and papers. Movement: good condition, revision 2017. Dial: good condition, slightly oxidised, hands discoloured. Case: very good condition, slightly scratched, slight traces of wear, refurbished. bezel replaced, strap original, polishing marks. Explanations to the Catalogue
PRINTZ, EUGÈNE1879 - 1948PAAR SESSEL. Datierung: Um 1935. Technik: Walnussholz, gepolstert. Maße: 70x71x78cm. Literatur:Dutko, Jean-Jacques & Bujon, Guy: E. Printz, Paris 1986, S.202.Eugène Printz stammt aus einer Pariser Ebenisten-Familie. Seine Laufbahn begann er im väterlichen Betrieb. Dort war man auf die Herstellung hochwertiger Möbel im traditionellen Stil spezialisiert. Sein eigener Stil ist geprägt von modernen, oft sehr reduzierten Formen. Bei seinen luxuriösen Möbelentwürfen zeigt Printz eine große Vorliebe für edle, oft auch exotische Hölzer. Die eleganten und exquisiten Art Déco Möbel sind begehrte Ausstattungsstücke der französischen Oberschicht. Erläuterungen zum KatalogEugène Printz Frankreich Jugendstil / Art Déco 20. Jahrhundert Sessel PRINTZ, EUGÈNE1879 - 1948PAIR OF WALNUT ARMCHAIRS. Date: Around 1935. Technique: Walnut, upholstered. Measurement: 70x71x78cm. Literature:Dutko, Jean-Jacques & Bujon, Guy: E. Printz, Paris 1986, p.202.Eugène Printz came from a Parisian family of ebenists. He began his career in his father's business, that was specialized in the production of high-quality, traditionally styled furniture. His own style is characterized by modern, often very minimalist shapes. In his luxurious furniture designs Printz shows a great preference for noble, often exotic woods. The elegant and exquisite pieces of Art Deco furniture were desired furnishings for the French upper class. Explanations to the Catalogue
James Coignard (1925-2008), französischer Maler und Grafiker, der die Carborundum-Radierung maßgeblich weiterentwickelte. Vertreten ist der u.a. im Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York sowie dem San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. ''Seohg'', Carborundum mit unikatem Charakter, Bütten mit Reliefstruktur und mit Kordel montierter, kleinerer Radierung, sowie Handkolorierung. U. re. handsign., u. li. num. 8/75m Blattmaße 55,5 x 45 cm
David Worthington (b.1962) Push Marble Marble, 2015 40cm dia. Base 4cm thick. This lot is subject to VAT on the hammer price. Horatio's Garden will receive 50% of the hammer price. While a teenager David Worthington became interested n sculpture. He graduated from Oxford University in 1984 with a degree in Philosophy and Theology. He had two solo shows at the prestigious London Gallery Alexander Reid and Lefevre and was the invited sculptor in 2001 at the world-renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera. In 2001 he completed an MA in Visual Culture at Middlesex University. The Crane Kalman Gallery took his work to Miami Basel in 2002. In 2003 he performed with the Guillermo Gomez Pena Group at the Tate Modern as part of the Live Performance Festival. In 2007 he finished an MA in Computer Arts at the University of West London He was shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2009. In 2010 he installed a large public sculpture in Great Queen St Covent Garden for Henderson Global Investors. He sat on the Council of The Royal British Society of Sculptors, was elected a Fellow by his peers, in 2009, and Vice President in 2010. In 2012 he is curated an exhibition of 24 artists at the Chelsea Physic Garden in association with John Martin and the Eden Project. In 2015 he had a solo exhibition at the William Bennington Gallery. He has taken part in group shows at Colyer Bristow Gallery, Blueprint Fine Art ,Sculpture at Fulmer with Brooke Bennington Gallery and Moreton Walled Garden , Dorset. In 2019 he installed a large public sculpture at Dunvegan Castle Isle of Skye. He is currently exhibiting at Messums Wiltshire Tisbury. In 2021 he will be unveiling a large public sculpture in Woking. He has carried out public commissions in the UK, America and Japan. His work is in the museum the Creative Cities Collection Beijing China.
Miranda Cresswell (b.1963) Swimming Through Signed Watercolour and gouache on paper 74 x 54.5cm 76 x 56cm (including frame). Horatio's Garden will receive 50% of the hammer price. Miranda Creswell studied at Camberwell School of Art in the 1980s and has since then held many solo and group exhibitions in the UK and abroad, for instance the Menier Gallery, London), Modern Art Oxford, Ely Cathedral; in Leiden, Holland (as part of a 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth) and in the British Art Exhibition in Perm, Russia. She has held an art residency at the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre, Harris Manchester College and at the CentQuatre Art Centre, in 19eme in Paris, France for a year with the group exhibition: Materialite de L'invisible She was the project artist for EnglaID for five years until 2016, a major research project on the English landscape, University of Oxford, Archaeology Department. She has been artist in resident for Horatio's Garden Salisbury in 2014 to 2018 engaging patients and staff and the archaeology department of University of Oxford, with ideas of landscape with a project called Looking Out 2019 at Horatio's Garden in Glasgow. She has in the last two years made a series of short films with drawings on women scientists, in collaboration with Professor Ashleigh Griffin from the Zoology Department, University of Oxford, funded by L'Oréal. As a result of the film series, the Physics Department at the University of Cambridge have commissioned six short films on Women Physicists looking at Physicists of all ages, as role models, in the UK. Miranda Creswell has recently been made Artist in Resident for the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, she is currently working for a public project with archaeologists, on the history of rivers, called The Ripple Effect, made possible by University of Oxford Public Engagement with research grant, Horatio's Garden, Salisbury was the first site to feature this work in March 2021.
A quantity of modern ceramics, art glass and household china, including Royal Doulton Toby jug, Poole Pottery tea and coffee service, a pair of German 19th century style figures, a modern Chinese Cockerel, together with Rudyard Kipling ''The Jungle Book'', Mortimer Menpes ''Japan'', Mrs Rudolph Taywell ''Fabre's Book Of Insects'', in four boxes, (qty). Poole pottery, one small cup cracked. Chips to the internal teapot lid rim. Some side plates scratched, some crazing. The other pieces in the lot have not been assessed.
Pigeon breeding.- [Dinsdale (Joshua)] The Dove-Cote: or, the art of breeding pigeons, a poem, first edition, title with woodcut floral ornament, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and decorative initial, title with some staining and a small chip at foot, occasional spotting, lightly browned, 19th century morocco-backed marbled boards, spine gilt, rubbed, [Foxon D315], 8vo, Printed for Joseph Davidson, at the Angel, in the Poultry, 1740.⁂ A scarce poem which provides a practical guide to the housing, care, feeding and breeding of doves and pigeons. Attributed to Dinsdale by the conjunction of date, publisher, and subject. The Modern art of breeding bees, a poem, was published by Davidson in the same year with Dinsdale's name on the title (cf. Foxon). Provenance: Edward Hailstone (1818-90), Yorkshire bibliophile. 'In 1871 Hailstone moved from Horton to Walton Hall, near Wakefield, where he lived as a recluse, savouring his library, which occupied the whole of the upper floor' (ODNB) (circular red leather armorial bookplate).
Betty Joel (1894-1985), a large pair of cream upholstered modernist armchairs,with squared arms and raised on casters 83 x 100 x 88cmFootnote: Provenance: Cheffins, The Art & Design Sale, 25th January, 2018, and formerly of 66 Frognal, Camden, London, the modernist house designed by architects Colin Lucas, Amyas Connell and Basil Ward. Connell Ward & Lucas were a pioneering firm of architects working in the Modern Movement in the UK. Connell and Ward were early admirers of Le Corbusier; Lucas, similarly influenced and frustrated by conventional builders, had set up his own company to develop ideas for reinforced concrete. The three worked as a team from 1933, for six years producing a series of houses that no contemporary firm could match. 66 Frognal is illustrated in 'Connell Ward & Lucas "Modern movement architects in England 1929 -1939"
Betty Joel (1894-1985), a Token Works walnut side cabinet, 1935,with two drawers above a pair of cupboard doors with adjustable shelves within, tiered rounded shelves to one end, token works label to rear 81.5 x 137 x 42cmFootnote: Despite the unfortunate brevity of her career - active only between 1927 and 1938 - the enormous design legacy left by British furniture, textile and interior designer, Betty Joel, is testament to both her talent and her fearlessness. Born Mary Stewart Lockhart in Hong Kong in 1896 to art collector and British colonial officer, Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart, and his wife, Edith, Joel spent her childhood and early twenties in China. Betty, as she was known from a young age, met her future husband, David Joel, in Ceylon and shortly after World War I, the pair left the East to settle in Portsmouth. In 1921, despairing at having to adapt old furniture to suit the requirements of her modern home, Betty decided, despite her lack of any formal training, to establish her own design business with her husband. Trading under 'Betty Joel Ltd.', Betty’s early designs were informed by the expertise of local artisans and typically used teak or oak in their manufacture. The popularity of these early designs, which were known as “token furniture” and were retailed through the Joel’s shops in London, secured Betty’s reputation as a serious designer and earned a number of prestigious commissions from clients, including Sir Winston Churchill and Lord and Lady Mountbatten. In 1939, however, David and Betty divorced, and whilst the business would continue to operate under 'David Joel Ltd.', Betty retired and would not work again. Creating her own brand of Modernism, tempered by the restrained aesthetics of the East, Betty’s designs can be characterised by their curvilinear forms, traditional construction methods, and exotic wood veneers.
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