ABDULHAY MUSALLAM ZARARA (1933, AL-DAWAYIMA - 2020, AMMAN)
ABDULHAY MUSALLAM ZARARA (1933, AL-DAWAYIMA - 2020, AMMAN)
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MARHALA PART II: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DALLOUL COLLECTION
ABDULHAY MUSALLAM ZARARA (1933, AL-DAWAYIMA - 2020, AMMAN)

Min al-Turath -al-Dabkeh (From Heritage: Dabkeh)

Details
ABDULHAY MUSALLAM ZARARA (1933, AL-DAWAYIMA - 2020, AMMAN)
Min al-Turath -al-Dabkeh (From Heritage: Dabkeh)
signed and dated in Arabic (lower left); signed, titled, inscribed and dated in Arabic (on the reverse)
acrylic on sawdust mounted on panel
26 ¾ x 35 3/8in. (68 x 90cm.)
Executed in 2005
Provenance
George Al-Ama, Palestine.
Dr Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Collection, Beirut (acquired from the above in 2013).
Thence by descent to the present owner.
Literature
'Abdulhay Musallam Zarara A Palestinian Artist', in Bazarrna, 8 May 2024 (illustrated in colour).

Brought to you by

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

Lot Essay

Palestinian painter and sculptor, Abdulhay Musallam Zarara, was born in Al Duwayma, Palestine in 1933. A self-taught artist, his works are imbued with deep meaning and cultural significance in their poignant portrayal of Palestinian life. His artistic practice was largely shaped by memories of his childhood in rural Palestine, followed by the mass displacement and massacre of Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba. Forced into exile at age fifteen, Zarara’s experience as a refugee instilled in him a deep sense of patriotism that would later fill his art with themes of longing, resistance, and resilience.

It wasn’t until the age of 39 that Zarara began painting, adopting a unique technique in which he painted with acrylic paints onto a base of sawdust mixed with glue. This method gave his works a sculptural, three-dimensional quality, exerting a palpable pull to his work. Emerging in a period when themes of national identity and resistance predominated Palestinian art, Zarara was committed to both commemorating his vanishing homeland and to the service of the Palestinian Cause. His extensive repertoire of nearly 600 works serves as a poignant documentation of Palestinian culture and the tragedies endured by its people. Thus, his ideologically charged and aesthetically uncompromising oeuvre stands as a powerful tool of resistance.

The present lot, titled Dabke Dance (in Arabic), portrays one of the most popular traditions among Palestinian communities - the dabke - a folk dance in the Levant. Deriving from Levantine Arabic, the dabke etymologically means “foot-stomping”, which reflects the dance’s rhythmic, convivial and unifying nature. Zarara captures the dynamic energy of the dance with a bold, colourful palette that brings the scene to life. The men, dressed in traditional Palestinian thobes, are arranged in a circle to symbolise the collective and enduring spirit of the Palestinian people. Handwritten lyrics to a folk song in the background, a recurring element in many of Zarara’s paintings, add a musical dimension for those familiar with the songs. Through such works, the artist conveys both the festive atmosphere of the dance and its deeper significance as an expression of national identity, creating a powerful narrative of resilience.

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