Fateh Moudarres
Encyclopedia
Fateh al-Moudarres (1922—1999) was a Syria
n painter and one of the leaders of the modern art movement in Syria. Moudarres studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome
, where he was influenced by Surrealism
. After he completed his studies, he returned to Syria where he grew and honed his skills under the auspices of long-time friend, mentor, and tutor Wahbi Al-Hariri
.
, Syria
, Fateh Moudarres originally taught himself realist techniques before becoming interested in surrealism
.
from 1954 to 1960 and developed a distinctive style of painting that incorporated both movements. He abandoned the religious iconography and Syrian Art references of his early work for non-objectivity in the 1960’s. After 1967 however, his work took on political themes.
for three years in the early 1970’s, and honed his technical and compositional skills before returning to Syria
to teach at the University of Damascus
an opportunity that allowed him to interract with other young Syrian artists. During this time, he was mentored by Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri
, "The Last of the Classicists," with whom he would remain friends.
. The city at that time was experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and fast becoming an increasingly cramped and hostile environment in which to live. These conditions were compounded by the political and social unrest sweeping the Arab World. Against this backdrop Moudarres, along with several his artist contemporaries, often sought to depict the everyday people and the problems they encountered.
He was especially moved by the life of ordinary people in the Syrian countryside. For them, what on the surface which can often incorrectly be characterized as an idyllic existence was in fact a way of life marred by problems caused by social upheavals. The present composition depicts the life of the simple peasants, showing the country bride and wedding party. In such a scene one might expect to see joyful celebration, but instead there is a palpable aura of sadness, as Moudarres reveals something of his feelings about suffering and helplessness of these women in the rural areas.
in Dubai
, one of his paintings, titled Achtar, dated 1983, was initially estimated at $120,000-$160,000 but realized $176,500. At the same auction, a record-price for his paintings was broken: Wedding in The Kalamoon Mountains, Syria fetched $289,000.00.
auctioned two of Moudarres's paintings. The paintings were the property of private collectors and not part of any collection:
. One of the latter's paintings realized $157,000.00.
auctioned a smaller/lesser Moudarres painting. Untitled realized $10,558.00.
auctioned off several of Fateh Moudarres's smaller/lesser works for prices averaging over $50,000. The pieces were part of The Rudolf and Maria Fechter Collection:
auctioned five of Moudarres's paintings in the International Modern & Contemporary Art in Dubai, Including Masterpieces from The Collection of Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi.
auctioned eight of Moudarres's paintings in the International Modern and Contemporary Art in Dubai, Including Masterpieces from an Italian private collection.
auctioned eight of Moudarres's paintings in the TABLEAUX ORIENTALISTES ET ART MODERNE ARABE ET IRANIEN in Paris, Including Masterpieces from DE L'ANCIENNE COLLECTION DE MARIA ET SON EXCELLENCE L'AMBASSADEUR RUDOLF FECHTER.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n painter and one of the leaders of the modern art movement in Syria. Moudarres studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he was influenced by Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
. After he completed his studies, he returned to Syria where he grew and honed his skills under the auspices of long-time friend, mentor, and tutor Wahbi Al-Hariri
Wahbi Al-Hariri
Mohamed Wahbi Al-Hariri Rifai , OAL, was an Arab-American artist, architect, and author.-Biography:Wahbi Al-Hariri was born in 1914 in Aleppo, Syria. He also lived in France, Italy, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America....
.
Biography
Born in AleppoAleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Fateh Moudarres originally taught himself realist techniques before becoming interested in surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
.
Accademia di Belle Arti
He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from 1954 to 1960 and developed a distinctive style of painting that incorporated both movements. He abandoned the religious iconography and Syrian Art references of his early work for non-objectivity in the 1960’s. After 1967 however, his work took on political themes.
Ecole nationale superieur des Beaux Arts
Moudarres studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for three years in the early 1970’s, and honed his technical and compositional skills before returning to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to teach at the University of Damascus
University of Damascus
The University of Damascus is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine and the Institute of Law , also making it the oldest university in modern-day Syria...
an opportunity that allowed him to interract with other young Syrian artists. During this time, he was mentored by Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri
Wahbi Al-Hariri
Mohamed Wahbi Al-Hariri Rifai , OAL, was an Arab-American artist, architect, and author.-Biography:Wahbi Al-Hariri was born in 1914 in Aleppo, Syria. He also lived in France, Italy, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America....
, "The Last of the Classicists," with whom he would remain friends.
Return to Syria
Upon his return from Italy late 1950s, Moudaress abandoned the traditional formulas of painting prevalent in Syria and began to create a language where his vocabulary was drawn from the primitive and ancient arts of his country. In his expressionistic idiom reality is mixed with fiction. The heroes are taken both from the present and from ancient civilisations, and are both nameless peasants and legendary figures. Their square-shaped heads recall those of Assyrian statuary, and those of the figures in Palmyrene frescos, and also of early Christian iconography. These characters are enriched with warm and vibrant colours and executed in a variety of ways, sometimes with dense application of paint, sometimes scratched, or stippled, or with the addition of sand. Often a specific group of colours, such as red and black, or white and fawn, will dominate the painting.Evolution of Artistic Style
Growing up Fateh Moudarres spent much time in the countryside, but the agricultural crisis of the 1960s forced him to relocate to DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. The city at that time was experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and fast becoming an increasingly cramped and hostile environment in which to live. These conditions were compounded by the political and social unrest sweeping the Arab World. Against this backdrop Moudarres, along with several his artist contemporaries, often sought to depict the everyday people and the problems they encountered.
He was especially moved by the life of ordinary people in the Syrian countryside. For them, what on the surface which can often incorrectly be characterized as an idyllic existence was in fact a way of life marred by problems caused by social upheavals. The present composition depicts the life of the simple peasants, showing the country bride and wedding party. In such a scene one might expect to see joyful celebration, but instead there is a palpable aura of sadness, as Moudarres reveals something of his feelings about suffering and helplessness of these women in the rural areas.
Collections
Although Moudarres was a prolific artist, three main private collections of his work exist:- The Al-Hariri Family Currently the largest private collection of the works of Fateh Moudarres is kept by Mokhless Al-Hariri, son of Syrian artist, Wahbi Al-HaririWahbi Al-HaririMohamed Wahbi Al-Hariri Rifai , OAL, was an Arab-American artist, architect, and author.-Biography:Wahbi Al-Hariri was born in 1914 in Aleppo, Syria. He also lived in France, Italy, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United States of America....
of The Al-Hariri Family. - The Collection of Rudolf and Maria Fechter Dr. Rudolf Fechter, a German diplomat and statesman, was also a friend of Moudarres and bought several pieces; arguably it was the second major collection of the artist's work before slowly being auctioned recently at Christie's
- The Collection of Walter Scheel Scheel, former Foreign Affairs Minister of Germany, and later President, was exposed to Moudarres's work through Dr. Fechter and, an avid collector, acquired several pieces and maintains a small but sizeable collection.
Posthumous Exchanges/Legacy
Since his death, prices of his works have been rising. In 2007 average prices of his works were between $10,000 and $20,000. On 30 October 2008, however, at an auction of modern art at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers HotelJumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel
Jumeirah Emirates Hotel Tower, also known as 'Emirates Tower Two' is a 56-floor hotel in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel includes 40 luxury suites and is operated by the Jumeirah International Group. Connected with 54-floor Emirates Office Tower by a retail boulevard, the two...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, one of his paintings, titled Achtar, dated 1983, was initially estimated at $120,000-$160,000 but realized $176,500. At the same auction, a record-price for his paintings was broken: Wedding in The Kalamoon Mountains, Syria fetched $289,000.00.
Christie's, Sale 7674 (2008)
On October 30, 2008, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned two of Moudarres's paintings. The paintings were the property of private collectors and not part of any collection:
- Achtar (Lot 11), $176,500.00
- The Magician and His Family (Lot 20), $50,000.00
Christie's, Sale 7665 (2008)
On April 30, 2008, Christie's auctioned several Moudarres pieces, alongside works by Louay KayyaliLouay Kayyali
-Biography:Kayyali was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1934 and studied art in the Accademia di Belle Arti after having studied at the Al-Tajhiz School where his work was first exhibited in 1952. He met Syrian artist Wahbi Al-Hariri there and the two would share a friendship for the rest of Kayyali's life...
. One of the latter's paintings realized $157,000.00.
- Kayce and Layla (Lot 1), $11,250.00
- Untitled (Lot 2), $13,750.00
- Family (Lot 3) $43,000.00
- Wedding in The Kalamoon Mountains, Syria (Lot 10) $289,000.00
- Untitled (Lot 24) $193,000.00
Christie's, Sale 5539 (2008)
On December 17, 2008, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned a smaller/lesser Moudarres painting. Untitled realized $10,558.00.
Christie's, Sale 7802 (2009)
On April 29, 2009, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned off several of Fateh Moudarres's smaller/lesser works for prices averaging over $50,000. The pieces were part of The Rudolf and Maria Fechter Collection:
- The Icons of Moudarres (Lot 7), $98,500.00
- Untitled (Lot 8), $35,500.00
- Madonna with Dove (Lot 9), $32,500.00
- Untitled, (Lot 10), $18,750.00
- Untitled, (Lot 15), $62,500.00
Christie's, Sale 7893 (2010)
On April 27, 2010, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned five of Moudarres's paintings in the International Modern & Contemporary Art in Dubai, Including Masterpieces from The Collection of Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi.
- Mother and Child (Lot 5), $92,500.00
- Self-Portrait (Lot 121), $110,500.00
- Farewell To The Gods In Beirut (Lot 43), $182,500.00
- The Lovers, (Lot 4), $74,550.00
- Untitled, (Lot 65), $31,250.00
Christie's, Sale 7895 (2010)
On October 26, 2010, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned eight of Moudarres's paintings in the International Modern and Contemporary Art in Dubai, Including Masterpieces from an Italian private collection.
- Untitled (Lot 40), $374,500
- Untitled (abstract composition) (Lot 83), $13,750
- Untitled (Lot 84), $12,500
- Untitled, (Lot 85), $15,000
- Untitled, (Lot 86), $3,750
- Untitled, (Lot 88), $12,500
- Untitled (Mother and child), (Lot 89), $16,250
- Family, (Lot 91), $22,500
Christie's, Sale 5613 (2010)
On November 9, 2010, Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioned eight of Moudarres's paintings in the TABLEAUX ORIENTALISTES ET ART MODERNE ARABE ET IRANIEN in Paris, Including Masterpieces from DE L'ANCIENNE COLLECTION DE MARIA ET SON EXCELLENCE L'AMBASSADEUR RUDOLF FECHTER.
- Choral (God is love) (Lot 104), €20,625
- Sheikh de Ras Schamra (Lot 105), €11,250
- Three worlds of life (Lot 106), €3,750
- L'enfant blond , (Lot 107), €9,375
- Easy midnoon in April , (Lot 108), €6,000
- Deux figures dans un fond vert , (Lot 109), €7,500
- Têtes , (Lot 110), €79,375
- La fille au chat , (Lot 111), €10,000
External links
- A gallery's page on Moudarres's work
- Moudarres on Artnet
- Portal to images, exhibition dates, and reviews
- A news article on Moudarres
- A very small and basic online gallery of his work
- Moudarres on Christie's Auction House
- http://www.fen-art.com/index.php?view=art&parent=22