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Lot Essay
Painted in 1978, L’amour dans une nuit lumineuse, is a remarkable work from Hamed Nada’s later oeuvre. Through the mastery of his technique, the canvas unfolds like a dreamscape where sky and land seamlessly dissolve into one another, creating a unified space that radiates serenity and mysticism. By layering shades of turquoise and blue, the artist blurs the distinction between the earth and the sky. Rather than establishing a clear horizon, Nada lets colour gradients and soft transitions merge the realms of the terrestrial and celestial, where the human figures appear to float, suspended in an ethereal atmosphere, drifting within a bubble, unbound by gravity or the constraints of time.
Here, Nada juxtaposes interior and exterior spaces, separating the two with an archway, standing as a metaphor for passage or union, creating tension between intimate private moments and the shared public sphere. The work exemplifies his mature style, characterised by expressive colour stylised figures, and symbolic motifs, alongside a synthesis of popular and mythic imagery that defines his later oeuvre.
A leading figure of modern Egyptian art, Hamed Nada explored themes of symbolism, everyday life, and Egypt’s profound spiritual traditions through vivid and imaginative visual language. Born in Cairo’s Al-Qa‘la district, the son of a religious sheikh, Nada was shaped by the historic environment of the Sayyida Zeinab neighbourhood. The grandeur of Mamluk and Ottoman monuments left a lasting impression on his imagination, while the lively atmosphere of Cairo’s markets, with their puppet shows and celebratory Moulids, enriched his artistic vision.
Nada studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, graduating in 1951 under the guidance of leading artists including Ahmed Sabry and Youssef Kamel. In 1960 he furthered his training in mural painting at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, an experience that expanded his technical and conceptual range while reinforcing his commitment to Egyptian cultural identity. Nada’s work forms part of numerous institutional collections worldwide including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Museum of Modern Art, Cairo; and the Fine Art Museum of Alexandria.
Here, Nada juxtaposes interior and exterior spaces, separating the two with an archway, standing as a metaphor for passage or union, creating tension between intimate private moments and the shared public sphere. The work exemplifies his mature style, characterised by expressive colour stylised figures, and symbolic motifs, alongside a synthesis of popular and mythic imagery that defines his later oeuvre.
A leading figure of modern Egyptian art, Hamed Nada explored themes of symbolism, everyday life, and Egypt’s profound spiritual traditions through vivid and imaginative visual language. Born in Cairo’s Al-Qa‘la district, the son of a religious sheikh, Nada was shaped by the historic environment of the Sayyida Zeinab neighbourhood. The grandeur of Mamluk and Ottoman monuments left a lasting impression on his imagination, while the lively atmosphere of Cairo’s markets, with their puppet shows and celebratory Moulids, enriched his artistic vision.
Nada studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, graduating in 1951 under the guidance of leading artists including Ahmed Sabry and Youssef Kamel. In 1960 he furthered his training in mural painting at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, an experience that expanded his technical and conceptual range while reinforcing his commitment to Egyptian cultural identity. Nada’s work forms part of numerous institutional collections worldwide including Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Museum of Modern Art, Cairo; and the Fine Art Museum of Alexandria.