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Lot Essay
'I do not believe in the creation of a 'national art'. Art does not need to be detached from life: it should express the forces of a living society.'
(Salah Abdel Kerim quoted)
Christie's is proud to present an exceptional work by Egyptian master painter and sculptor Salah Abdel Kerim. Born in Fayoum, Egypt, the artist was educated at Cairo's School of Fine Arts. After his 1938 meeting with fellow painter Hussein Bicar and later with the forerunner of the Contemporary Art Group, Hussein Youssef Amin, his style shifted into full-fledged Surrealism. His style was further influenced by his travels and studies in France and Italy. His works were showcased locally in Egypt but also internationally, having participated to the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1959 and to the Venice Biennale in 1960. For the next 25 years, Abdel Kerim had a prolific and eclectic career, ranging from creating sculptures, to being commissioned ballet and theatre decors and monumental decorations for public buildings across Egypt, Belgium and Yemen. In October 1985 he received the Medal of Distinction, following which a major retrospective of his works was organised at the French Cultural Centre; the exhibition was inaugurated by Egypt's Minister of Culture at the time, H.E. Ahmed Heykal and by Egypt's French Ambassador H.E. Pierre Hunt.
Like Hamed Ewais, Salah Abdel Kerim is one of the rare Egyptian painters to have won the prestigious prize from the Solomon R. Guggenehim Foundation for his painting The Fighting Roosters, at the same time as fellow artist Salah Taher in 1960. René Huyghe, a former curator at the Louvre Museum and notorious professor at the Collège de France published three seminal volumes entitled L'Art et L'Homme. The third volume features a section on the symbolic aspect of Modern Art through the ferocity of beasts, illustrating an assemblage sculpture by Salah Abdel Kerim, Le Cri de l'Animal, next to one of Pablo Picasso's engravings, hence identifying Abdel Kerim as one of the pioneers of Modern Art alongside the great Spanish master (R. Huyghe, L'Art et L'Homme, 1961, Vol. III, p. 395).
In Nature Morte, painted in 1956, Abdel Kerim's fascination with the depiction of daily life is manifested. Beginning the artwork with forceful sketches, Abdel Kerim painted various overlapping layers on top to create the rich composition seen. He carefully analysed the complexity of the painting's structure in a preliminary charcoal sketch drawing, characterised by the dynamism of its dark lines. The domiciliary colours in the present lot are reminiscent of one's home. The painting, therefore, represents a tranquil scene that can be found at home, evoking warm and fond memories within the viewer. The asymmetrical geometric shapes of each object emit a playful and interesting vibe to an otherwise ordinary scene.
(Salah Abdel Kerim quoted)
Christie's is proud to present an exceptional work by Egyptian master painter and sculptor Salah Abdel Kerim. Born in Fayoum, Egypt, the artist was educated at Cairo's School of Fine Arts. After his 1938 meeting with fellow painter Hussein Bicar and later with the forerunner of the Contemporary Art Group, Hussein Youssef Amin, his style shifted into full-fledged Surrealism. His style was further influenced by his travels and studies in France and Italy. His works were showcased locally in Egypt but also internationally, having participated to the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1959 and to the Venice Biennale in 1960. For the next 25 years, Abdel Kerim had a prolific and eclectic career, ranging from creating sculptures, to being commissioned ballet and theatre decors and monumental decorations for public buildings across Egypt, Belgium and Yemen. In October 1985 he received the Medal of Distinction, following which a major retrospective of his works was organised at the French Cultural Centre; the exhibition was inaugurated by Egypt's Minister of Culture at the time, H.E. Ahmed Heykal and by Egypt's French Ambassador H.E. Pierre Hunt.
Like Hamed Ewais, Salah Abdel Kerim is one of the rare Egyptian painters to have won the prestigious prize from the Solomon R. Guggenehim Foundation for his painting The Fighting Roosters, at the same time as fellow artist Salah Taher in 1960. René Huyghe, a former curator at the Louvre Museum and notorious professor at the Collège de France published three seminal volumes entitled L'Art et L'Homme. The third volume features a section on the symbolic aspect of Modern Art through the ferocity of beasts, illustrating an assemblage sculpture by Salah Abdel Kerim, Le Cri de l'Animal, next to one of Pablo Picasso's engravings, hence identifying Abdel Kerim as one of the pioneers of Modern Art alongside the great Spanish master (R. Huyghe, L'Art et L'Homme, 1961, Vol. III, p. 395).
In Nature Morte, painted in 1956, Abdel Kerim's fascination with the depiction of daily life is manifested. Beginning the artwork with forceful sketches, Abdel Kerim painted various overlapping layers on top to create the rich composition seen. He carefully analysed the complexity of the painting's structure in a preliminary charcoal sketch drawing, characterised by the dynamism of its dark lines. The domiciliary colours in the present lot are reminiscent of one's home. The painting, therefore, represents a tranquil scene that can be found at home, evoking warm and fond memories within the viewer. The asymmetrical geometric shapes of each object emit a playful and interesting vibe to an otherwise ordinary scene.