Fahrelnissa Zeid

Gimpel Fils, London (acquired directly from the artist circa 1950)

This brilliantly kaleidoscopic and fluorescently pigmented diptych was executed by the renowned Turkish artist, Fahrelnissa Zeid. The female artist, whose legacy is celebrated to this day, left a lasting impression on the art world. Recorded as a pivotal member of the Ecole de Paris art movement and its consequent cultural discourse, her extensive oeuvre presents works inspired by a wide range of styles and cultural observations. Zeid was brought up in a household which encouraged intellectual and cultural stimulation. During her childhood she had weekly lessons in several languages and often studied the Islamic spiritual practise of Sufism. In the late 1920s Zeid explored Europe, the Middle East and America; exposing her to various influences which shaped her artistic practise. In 1928, Zeid travelled to Paris to study at the Académie Ranson under Roger Bissière. Bissière encouraged Zeid to explore abstract painting; causing her to develop a personal style incorporating elements of Fauvism and Expressionism. The artist simultaneously maintained her relationship to her roots, combing European influence with her origins to develop a rich Oriental exoticism, seeped in inspiration from Islamic texts and Sufism.

Untitled, is an outstanding example of the artist's work, composed of abstract forms painted in various rich tones of yellow, red, pink and orange. These layers of gemlike hues are distinctively encircled by thick black lines, a method of illustration inherent to Zeid’s style. Her works communicate a freedom of movement, conveying her method of practise. Never adhering to a rigid plan prior to creation; her expressive shapes and free flowing forms commemorate the artist's free spirit and spontaneity. In Untitled, the hypnotising planes are covered in fluidly contrasting geometric abstraction, creating a fantastic rhythmic vision; the viewer is removed from reality and invited to join the ethereal realm conjured by Zeid’s palette of opulent pigments and winding shapes.  Zeid’s style can be observed as an avant-garde interpretation of Islamic calligraphy, an illustrative discipline of Oriental mysticism, whereby figurative representation was considered sacrilegious. Untitled is a testament to such Islamic aesthetic traditions with rhythms, similar to those present in calligraphic ornamentation. As if writing; she weaves a monumental carpet of repeated forms to present an eternal continuity reminiscent of Sufi tradition.