The Artist’s Muse Hala Midani

Christie’s is proud to offer this unique important work from the collection of Mrs. Hala Midani, known as the artist’s muse for the Syrian modern master Louay Kayyali during the 1960s. In April 1961, Salet Al Fann Al Hadith (The Gallery of Modern Art), which was the first official art gallery in Damascus that was run by the famous Mr Dadouch in the 1960s, called for a competition ‘Miss Artistic Inspiration’ to choose a muse that might inspire the artists of Damascus. Mrs Hala Midani was the winner where she had the chance to travel throughout the country, sitting for over 60 hours with around 30 talented artists such as Fateh Moudarres, Naim Ismail, Nour El Dine Doghmosh, Rajaj Al Safadi and Sobhi Mardini, among others. She sat daily for two hours at a time at the Tawfic Tarek Art Centre in Damascus, an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture. A final exhibition was held that featured 50 of the best paintings of Hala. This experience solidified her presence within the country’s art scene, where she was notable for her avant-garde spirit, her proud defiance to be herself and a free woman of the world, a world sadly way behind today.

Bold and proud of her long-lasting legacy within the Syrian art scene, Hala met earlier this year with Christie’s art specialist Hala Khayat, and her avant-garde spirit is still strong today. Looking through a most coveted photo album filled with photographs of Mrs Midani sitting for these artists and newspaper clippings referencing her life and story, she remembers Kayyali to be the most kind, sensitive and full of soul.