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Lot Essay
‘In the beginning I wanted to do only 15 or 20 etchings. But I simply could not stop before I completed the 140th piece… It has been dramatic. It's been like a fury, but now I know it's done…it was not easy but I was keen on this number because God’s names are 99.’
(The artist quoted in “Marwan Kassab Bach: A Spiritual Bridge to the Arab World” 17 April 1998, published on www.thekhalidshomanfoundation.org; accessed online).
In his quest to passionately display and explain his world through his paintings, drawings and etchings, as a pioneer of artistic expression and Arab Modernism, the late Syrian master Marwan restricted himself to a few simple and essential themes; most prevalently the head, which has in coming years and decades become a quintessentially identifying trait of the artist’s mesmerising oeuvre. Conceiving of the head as a world or cosmos, as a landscape of the soul and as the great orb of the universe and in a myriad of reflections and visual smiles, Marwan meditated on the basic human state of being. By reiterating the image of the head over and over in hundreds of variations it becomes clear that the capacity for the life of these heads is astounding; they stand for the whole body and thus the human being in its entirety.
Revealing a full spectrum of human emotions that imply and instigate sentiments of vulnerability, fear, confidence and simultaneous solidarity, Marwan’s examination of the fragility and strength of human existence remains paramount to exemplifying the elegant rhythm which permeates the entire fabric of his work. Having refined this central motif over many decades, his fascination with this theme culminates in the seminal series entitled 99 Heads (Ibn Arabi), paying homage to verse by the twelfth century Arab Sufi Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi which says ‘The face is but one, only by counting the mirrors it multiplies.’
Christie’s is honoured to be offering an edition of this masterful series that lays testament to the late artist’s fantastic and awe inspiring skill. The series of prints created from 1997 to 1998 supply a fitting background that allows the viewer to reflect upon the artist’s journey and perceive more distinctly his relentless pursuit to arrest the multiplicity of appearances in a single face.
Adding up to 99, a number that coincides with number believed to be that of the divine names of God in Islamic culture, a space is left blank for the 100th print to symbolise the uttainable state of God. This, however, might be the only occasion on which Marwan, a non-dogmatic Muslim, identified himself with a larger group. These etchings comprised of 99 black and white heads that are displayed frame to frame form an impressive block that appears, in its disorderly manner, to create a constant sense of movement. In continuous transformation, unlike his paintings that usually take advantage of oblique and theatrical angles to give the portraits drama, Marwan presents these heads frontally, juxtaposing plaited and crowded lines with roughened and smooth surfaces in a playful manner that captivates the viewer.
Limited to an edition of eighteen, 99 Heads has been exhibited internationally in Amman at Darat Al Funun where Marwan taught for several years, in London at the Mosaic Rooms, and most recently in Hamburg and in Sharjah at the Barjeel Foundation, the first of Marwan’s exhibitions in the GCC and sadly the last before his untimely passing at the end of 2016.
(The artist quoted in “Marwan Kassab Bach: A Spiritual Bridge to the Arab World” 17 April 1998, published on www.thekhalidshomanfoundation.org; accessed online).
In his quest to passionately display and explain his world through his paintings, drawings and etchings, as a pioneer of artistic expression and Arab Modernism, the late Syrian master Marwan restricted himself to a few simple and essential themes; most prevalently the head, which has in coming years and decades become a quintessentially identifying trait of the artist’s mesmerising oeuvre. Conceiving of the head as a world or cosmos, as a landscape of the soul and as the great orb of the universe and in a myriad of reflections and visual smiles, Marwan meditated on the basic human state of being. By reiterating the image of the head over and over in hundreds of variations it becomes clear that the capacity for the life of these heads is astounding; they stand for the whole body and thus the human being in its entirety.
Revealing a full spectrum of human emotions that imply and instigate sentiments of vulnerability, fear, confidence and simultaneous solidarity, Marwan’s examination of the fragility and strength of human existence remains paramount to exemplifying the elegant rhythm which permeates the entire fabric of his work. Having refined this central motif over many decades, his fascination with this theme culminates in the seminal series entitled 99 Heads (Ibn Arabi), paying homage to verse by the twelfth century Arab Sufi Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi which says ‘The face is but one, only by counting the mirrors it multiplies.’
Christie’s is honoured to be offering an edition of this masterful series that lays testament to the late artist’s fantastic and awe inspiring skill. The series of prints created from 1997 to 1998 supply a fitting background that allows the viewer to reflect upon the artist’s journey and perceive more distinctly his relentless pursuit to arrest the multiplicity of appearances in a single face.
Adding up to 99, a number that coincides with number believed to be that of the divine names of God in Islamic culture, a space is left blank for the 100th print to symbolise the uttainable state of God. This, however, might be the only occasion on which Marwan, a non-dogmatic Muslim, identified himself with a larger group. These etchings comprised of 99 black and white heads that are displayed frame to frame form an impressive block that appears, in its disorderly manner, to create a constant sense of movement. In continuous transformation, unlike his paintings that usually take advantage of oblique and theatrical angles to give the portraits drama, Marwan presents these heads frontally, juxtaposing plaited and crowded lines with roughened and smooth surfaces in a playful manner that captivates the viewer.
Limited to an edition of eighteen, 99 Heads has been exhibited internationally in Amman at Darat Al Funun where Marwan taught for several years, in London at the Mosaic Rooms, and most recently in Hamburg and in Sharjah at the Barjeel Foundation, the first of Marwan’s exhibitions in the GCC and sadly the last before his untimely passing at the end of 2016.