Lot 14: Abdulla Al-Muharraqi (Bahraini, b. 1939)

Abdulla Al-Muharraqi (Bahraini, b. 1939)
The Fall Of Adam
signed and dated 'Muharraqi 1979, and in Arabic (lower right); signed and titled 'ABDULLA MUHARRAQI, The Fall of Adam' and signed in Arabic (on the reverse)
oil on board
38 7/8 x 29 1/8in. (97 x 71.3cm.)
Painted in 1979

Bahrain and Qatar, Gulf First Art Exhibition, 1980
Paris, Grand Palais, 1981

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The Fall of Adam was painted 29 years ago in the winter of 1979. It is one of the artist's favourite paintings, holding a special place in his heart and soul, and has not been put up for sale since its conception in 1979. First exhibited in the 1980 Bahraini Annual Arts Exhibition in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in 1981 it was chosen among a select few works from the Arab world by a French delegate visiting the region to be exhibited in the 1981 Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris. The Grand Palais and the Petite Palais house the city of Paris art collection. It won the prestigious gold prize for that year.
Known for his strong use of bold colours and complex compositions, Abdulla Al-Muharraqi simultaneously works in two very different styles with two very different themes. The first of these depicts the social and heritage environment of the Gulf region, its traditions and folklore. His other style is very different, a complex synthesis of ideas and emotions presented within a narrative framework, drawing into it elements of both expressionism and surrealism. These paintings carry a strong social message, often a complex one. What makes Al-Muharraqi's paintings exceptional is that through his bold and skilful execution he makes these messages explicit so that any viewer, the simple or the intellectual, can understand.
The subject of the present work is referred to both in Genesis and in the Holy Qur'an. Adam's failing brought both physical and spiritual death into the world, where it was hitherto unknown. The artist here expresses the anger he feels towards this original sin
Works by Al-Muahrraqi are held by the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha.