Lot 4: Mahmoud Hammad (Syrian, 1923-1988)

Mahmoud Hammad (Syrian, 1923-1988)
Al-Rahman Al-Rahim
signed and dated 'Hammad 82' (lower left)
oil on canvas
27¼ x 31in. (69 x 79cm.)
Painted in 1982

This lot offered for sale is subject to a 5% import duty on the importation value levied at the time of collection/shipment within the UAE.
Since the 1950s the use of Arabic letters and calligraphy in contemporary Arab painting and sculpture has spread rapidly. In fact, and that it became rare for any Arab artist not to experiment with these traditional motifs.
Hammad's approach was quite different from most. Rather than attempting to treat the characters in a clear, readable way, his style instead developed into a more mysterious way of rendering the words, expressing their message his highly abstracted compositions.