Samir Rafi (Egyptian, 1926-2004)
This lot is offered without reserve. Lots are sub… Read more PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, CAIRO
Samir Rafi (Egyptian, 1926-2004)

Untitled

Details
Samir Rafi (Egyptian, 1926-2004)
Untitled
signed and dated 'S. RAFI 1945' (lower left)
oil on board
29 2/3 x 19 1/2 in. (75.4 x 62.3cm.)
Painted in 1945
Provenance
Acquired from the Artist's Estate by the present owner.
Special notice
This lot is offered without reserve. Lots are subject to 5% import Duty on the importation value (low estimate) levied at the time of collection shipment within UAE. For UAE buyers, please note that duty is paid at origin (Dubai) and not in the importing country. As such, duty paid in Dubai is treated as final duty payment. It is the buyer's responsibility to ascertain and pay all taxes due. Please note that on 1st of January 2018, the UAE introduced a VAT regime. For all lots, a VAT charge of 5% of the buyer’s premium will be payable unless the lot is correctly exported out of the UAE within 90 days of the date of this auction. For lots marked with the ‘star’ * symbol in the catalogue, an import duty of 5% of the hammer price will be payable if the lot is collected or shipped within the GCC and an additional VAT of 5% will be charged on the duty-inclusive hammer price if the lot is released into free circulation in the UAE. Please see the Conditions of Sale in the sale catalogue for full details. If you are shipping outside of the UAE, you will need to indicate your shipping requirements and residency status to us prior to bidding to secure a VAT refund.
Sale room notice
Please note that this lot is offered without reserve price.

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Michael Jeha
Michael Jeha

Lot Essay

Samir Rafi was a member of the Group of Contemporary Art, an artist collective founded in 1946, which included such artists as Youssef Kamel, Ibrahim Masuda, al-Habshi, Mohamad Khalil and Ahmad Mahaer, and was among its leading proponents of surrealism, along with his colleagues Abdul Hadi El-Gazzar and Hamed Nada. The goal of the Group of Contemporary Art was to highlight the relationship of art to society and popular culture and to adapt to modern forms and technique.

Infused with surrealism and symbolism, Samir Rafi’s oeuvre is dictated by his strong outlines and little sense of perspective. The flat shapes and color plains resemble collages and are reminiscent of the child-like designs on the walls of the poor streets of Cairo, and the murals on the facades of the Nubian Houses. His work embodies the concerns and artistic sensibilities of a pioneering group of young painters active in Egypt in the 1950s. The presented piece depicts a still life consisting of a narguile, a chair, and a sparrow, where we can clearly see how Rafi employs his knowledge of color plains and his use of bold lines.

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