HUSSEIN BICAR (1913, ALEXANDRIA - 2002, CAIRO)
HUSSEIN BICAR (1913, ALEXANDRIA - 2002, CAIRO)
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MARHALA PART II: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DALLOUL COLLECTION
HUSSEIN BICAR (1913, ALEXANDRIA - 2002, CAIRO)

Misr al-Salaam (Egypt of Peace)

Details
HUSSEIN BICAR (1913, ALEXANDRIA - 2002, CAIRO)
Misr al-Salaam (Egypt of Peace)
signed and dated in Arabic (lower left)
oil on canvas laid on board
24 x 19 5/8in. (61 x 49.8cm.)
Painted in 1995
Provenance
Private Collection, Alexandria (acquired directly from the artist in the late 1990s, thence by descent).
Anon. sale, Christie’s London, 25 October 2017, lot 9.
Dr Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Collection, Beirut.
Thence by descent to the present owner.
Literature
'Bicar exhibits ‘Egypt 95’ at the Spring Salon’ in Al Ahram, 9 April 1995 (illustrated, p. 30).
Exhibited
Cairo, Club Heliopolis, Spring Salon, 1995.

Brought to you by

Marie-Claire Thijsen
Marie-Claire Thijsen Head of Sale, Associate Specialist

Lot Essay

Hussein Bicar, born in 1913 in Alexandria, Egypt, was celebrated for his genius as an artist, poet, musician, and art critic. After graduating from the Cairo School of Fine Arts, he dedicated his life to painting and teaching art in schools and universities. Bicar’s work as an illustrative journalist propelled his artistic practice to evolve into one of observing, documenting, and visually translating life onto canvas. Further inspired by his journeys to Nubia, a culturally rich region between Egypt and Sudan, Bicar was deeply immersed in its art, history, and traditions, which he avidly honoured in his paintings following the population’s exodus in 1970.

Bicar’s style transcends any homogenous category, instead blending realism, figurative surrealism and influences from ancient Egyptian art. Within his extensive body of work, his portraits are renowned for their realism, while his landscape and figure paintings display a more stylised, figurative technique. This versatility is further accentuated in his use of multiple mediums, including watercolours, tempera, and oil paints. Ultimately, his compositional approach and earthy colour palette, reminiscent of Nubian wall art, confirm Bicar’s deep appreciation for his homeland’s artistic heritage.

The present lot, titled Misr Al Salaam ( Egypt of Peace), was painted in 1995, a year marked by political unrest brought by tense parliamentary elections and a troubling human rights situation. Set against a backdrop of subdued greys, tans, and sage greens, painted with distinct brushstrokes that evoke a sense of movement, is a central figure of a woman dressed in white, with gold earrings shining through her blue veil, encircled by four white doves.

While the title itself implies the artist’s longing for stability in the face of turmoil, the female figure surrounded by doves serves as a powerful visual statement. Indeed, the recurring depiction of doves – universal symbols of peace – in Bicar’s work reaffirms his continuous yearning for peace and his sensitivity to the struggles faced by his people.

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