August 7, 2024, Dubai, UAE – Kutubna Cultural Center, Dubai’s newest independent bookstore and cultural center, has announced a new art exhibition featuring Arab artists. “One Hundred Years of Painting: Arab Art from 1916 to 2017” opens to the public with an official reception on Saturday, August 17, from 6 pm to 8 pm. The exhibition is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm and runs until October 13.
This exhibition offers a retrospective journey through the evolution of Arab art over the past century. Featuring 27 paintings selected from two collections of Arab art in Dubai, the International House Group collection and Al Noon Residence collection, the display highlights significant works from the region. It includes but is not limited to landscapes, still life, abstract works, and calligraphy by celebrated Arab artists. The earliest of these artists, Georges Sabbagh, was born in 1877.
Kutubna’s exhibit contains pieces from one of the most important Emirati art collections, collected over three decades. Art enthusiasts can look forward to exploring works by Farid Aouad, Amine El Bacha, Saliba Douaihy, Farghali Abdel Hafez, Faek Hassan, Shaker Hassan, Emanuel Guiragossian, Saad El Khadem, Michel El Mir, Fateh Al Moudarres, Abdel Kader Al-Rassam, Georges Sabbagh, Najat Makki, Khaled Ben Slimane, and Ali Hassan.
The exhibit features diverse paintings and styles. It includes Shaker Hassan’s cubist “Red Rooster” from Iraq and Saliba Douaihy’s abstract “View of Qannoubine Valley” from Lebanon.
Modern surrealism is represented by the works of Egyptian artist Farghali Abdel Hafez and Syrian artist Fateh Moudarres. Also on display is a beautiful work by Lebanese artist Michel El Mir using the palette knife technique, making the subject of the painting three-dimensional. Additionally, the exhibition highlights Saliba Douaihy’s artistic evolution with two paintings from distinct career stages.
Shatha Almutawa, founder and director of Kutubna Cultural Center, said: “Because of hundreds of years of European colonization around the world, art history programs and art history books have focused primarily on works by European and European American artists, even though artists from other backgrounds have produced works of equal beauty and depth. Kutubna seeks to make creative works from the Middle East visible and known. We want people from the region to recognize the great accomplishments by Arabs and Muslims throughout our history, especially in the contemporary period. The selection of the artworks on exhibit reflects the cultural importance of art to the people of Dubai and furthers the project of bringing paintings and exhibits to Dubai. The paintings in ‘One Hundred Years of Painting’ are now in one place for the first time and open to the public, and we are so excited to show the collection to our visitors.”
