Lot 40: LOUAY KAYYALI (SYRIA, 1934-1978) The Lottery Boy or ‘Seller of Yanaseeb’

LOUAY KAYYALI (SYRIA, 1934-1978) The Lottery Boy or ‘Seller of Yanaseeb’ oil on canvas, framed signed Kayyali and dated ’76 in Arabic (lower right), executed 1976 93 x 73.5cm (36 5/8 x 28 15/16in).

Provenance: Property from a private collection, Cambridge Dubai, International Modern & Contemporary Art Auction, Bonhams, 3 March 2008, lot 43 (front cover and illustrated on page 77) Formerly in the private collection of the late Hadba Qabbani, daughter of the late poet Nizar Qabbani Acquired directly from the Artist by the above. Louai Kayyali is remembered as one of the most sought-after Arab artists of the Modernist era. We are delighted to be presenting Kayyali’s Lottery Boy back to the market after ten years of being in private hands. This remarkable piece was the cover lot of our March 2008 Modern & Contemporary Middle Eastern auction catalogue. The painting was formerly in the distinguished collection of the late Hadba Qabbani, daughter of the late Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, who acquired the painting directly from the artist. This painting was executed in 1976, two years before the artist’s tragic death at the age of 44. Louai Kayyali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934. Kayyali received an art scholarship in 1956 to study at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts. He participated in numerous exhibitions and fairs during his time in Italy, including representing Syria along with Fateh Al Moudarres at the 1960 Venice Biennale. In 1961, Kayyali returned to Syria where he took up a professorship at the Damascus Higher Institute of Fine Arts. After the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War with Israel in 1967, Kayyali abandoned painting due to depression. In the early 1970s, he returned to painting and began producing numerous paintings depicting everyday people from the streets of Syria’s cities such as newspaper seller and shoeshine boys and The Lottery Boy falls into this category. Lottery Boy or ‘Seller of Yanaseeb’ is a prime example of Kayyali’s mature period in which key characters merge to the forefront. In this body of work, Kayyali highlights the protagonist’s struggle and vividly captures how the political upheaval affected the Syrian population’s demeanour, shaping the culture and society that lead to a prevailing poverty and societal marginalisation. Kayyali displays a sad affection for the solitary dispossessed peasant boy standing on the street corner trying to sell lottery tickets who is forced into a menial job instead of going to school and getting an education. These mesmerising portraits condensing all minor detail articulates the softness and vulnerability of Kayyal’s subjects. Melancholy, resignation and solitude best characterise much of Kayyali’s work after the 1967 war and the sentiments of political failure in Syria and the Arab world in general. His paintings externalised the pressing humanitarian and political issues that surrounded him. Kayyali’s powerful depictions of ordinary people are characterised by strong fluid lines that define the figures and the absence of extraneous detail. With an eye for quality, the creator of this collection has lovingly accumulated a selection of works which speak not just of the artistic genius of the Middle Eastern artists who created them, but also the interconnectedness of artists working in different countries in the Middle East Throughout the centuries, collectors have been fascinated by the art and culture of the Middle East. From the late 16th Century onward the steady stream of works into Europe became a flood as the mania for all things Middle Eastern exploded; and while relations between Europe and the Middle East have always been complex and sometimes fraught during the centuries that were to follow, the demand for works of art has never waned. To the European eye the Modern Art of the Middle East represents something somewhat isolated from the aesthetics of Western Modernism: whilst making use of Western artistic training Middle Eastern art has its roots within a radically different culture and society. Oil on canvas has always been the staple of Western art, yet carving, sculpting, weaving and writing have long remained the realm of Middle Eastern artists. With formidable examples from Iraqi, Iranian, Egyptian and Syrian artists, this small but sharply curated group highlights the common cause, and common skill that unifies artists from the Middle East.