Lot Essay
New York-based Palestinian artist Samia Halaby is one of the Arab world’s most important contemporary painters and a leading figure in the international abstract art scene. Born in Jerusalem in 1936, Halaby was displaced from her homeland during the mass displacement of Palestinians following the 1948 Nakba. Her childhood of constant moving and instability would manifest in a politically charged artistic career and her ongoing commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Halaby’s artistic practice has evolved into Abstract Expressionism, characterised by her vibrant kaleidoscopic landscapes that blend geometric elements of early Islamic architecture with the austere aesthetics of Russian Constructivism. In 1964, when Halaby travelled to Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Palestine as part of the Kansas City Art Institute grant, the artist encountered important architectural landmarks and heritage sites. At the same time, her fascination with Soviet Socialist ideologies introduced her to influential Russian avant-garde artists, further shaping her creative vision.
Perhaps, one of the most influential sources of inspiration in Halaby’s oeuvre came from books on geometry used by engineers. Approaching art through the lens of science, Halaby achieved her signature style by observing the reflections of metal strips and recreating their visual effects in her work, resulting in her three dimensional geometric abstraction work. This was followed by the Diagonal Flight series, of which two remarkable examples are featured in this auction, and in which she examined the representation of infinity, distance and time. Through creating multiple parallel diagonal lines that run from one edge of the canvas to another, Halaby evokes an idea of ‘flight’ through movement, which as a result, signifies the passage of time.
Halaby’s 2000 works are characterized by her departure from the predominant use of clear geometric shapes to more organic forms and smaller brush-strokes, creating more painterly abstractions. Halaby describes this as a turn towards ‘more complex geometry of nature,’ which because of its intricacy, ‘tends to be invisible due to the small scale of repeat patterns.’ (Samia Halaby in ‘Five Decades of Painting and Innovation: An Interview with Samia Halaby,’ in Jadaliyya, 31 March 2015).
In Lemon Tree (2011), the artist merges this approach with her instincts and insights into urban landscapes, particularly those of New York, where she lives and works. The resulting urban portrait reveals an abstract language that expresses the interconnectivity of various forms of life and the artist’s close attention to fragile relationship’s in today’s time. Using an ‘ants’ perspective, Lemon Tree distils buildings into stark, uncomplicated shapes spattered with foliage in different hues, offering delight through visceral encounters with infinite nuances and contextual dependence on colour.
Lemon Tree is the first commission by Dr Ramzi Dalloul and marks the beginning of a longlasting friendship and deep connection between Samia Halaby and the Dalloul family.
Halaby’s artistic practice has evolved into Abstract Expressionism, characterised by her vibrant kaleidoscopic landscapes that blend geometric elements of early Islamic architecture with the austere aesthetics of Russian Constructivism. In 1964, when Halaby travelled to Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Palestine as part of the Kansas City Art Institute grant, the artist encountered important architectural landmarks and heritage sites. At the same time, her fascination with Soviet Socialist ideologies introduced her to influential Russian avant-garde artists, further shaping her creative vision.
Perhaps, one of the most influential sources of inspiration in Halaby’s oeuvre came from books on geometry used by engineers. Approaching art through the lens of science, Halaby achieved her signature style by observing the reflections of metal strips and recreating their visual effects in her work, resulting in her three dimensional geometric abstraction work. This was followed by the Diagonal Flight series, of which two remarkable examples are featured in this auction, and in which she examined the representation of infinity, distance and time. Through creating multiple parallel diagonal lines that run from one edge of the canvas to another, Halaby evokes an idea of ‘flight’ through movement, which as a result, signifies the passage of time.
Halaby’s 2000 works are characterized by her departure from the predominant use of clear geometric shapes to more organic forms and smaller brush-strokes, creating more painterly abstractions. Halaby describes this as a turn towards ‘more complex geometry of nature,’ which because of its intricacy, ‘tends to be invisible due to the small scale of repeat patterns.’ (Samia Halaby in ‘Five Decades of Painting and Innovation: An Interview with Samia Halaby,’ in Jadaliyya, 31 March 2015).
In Lemon Tree (2011), the artist merges this approach with her instincts and insights into urban landscapes, particularly those of New York, where she lives and works. The resulting urban portrait reveals an abstract language that expresses the interconnectivity of various forms of life and the artist’s close attention to fragile relationship’s in today’s time. Using an ‘ants’ perspective, Lemon Tree distils buildings into stark, uncomplicated shapes spattered with foliage in different hues, offering delight through visceral encounters with infinite nuances and contextual dependence on colour.
Lemon Tree is the first commission by Dr Ramzi Dalloul and marks the beginning of a longlasting friendship and deep connection between Samia Halaby and the Dalloul family.