Aref el Rayess

Galleria Numero, Florence  
Private Collection, Venice (acquired directly from the above in 1983)
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1995

Beirut, Temps - Homme - Machine: Respiration et Resistance, 1960s (unknown date)

Condition: This work is in good condition. The board is slightly curved due to the heaviness of the central section. Upon closer inspection some minor paint loss to some of the edges of the sand rocks. No signs of restoration under UV light. Colours: The colours in the cat illustration are accurate, with the overall tonality being softer.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Born in Aley, Mount Lebanon, in 1928 and self-taught for much of his early career, Aref El Rayess grew up to become an award-winning artist and a pioneer in the field of arts in Lebanon. A master of sculpture and painting, El Rayess has forged artistic and political initiatives within the greater Middle East.

Holding his first exhibition in 1948, El Rayess spent most of his adolescence traveling throughout Africa and later settling in Senegal for a short period. This move had a strong influence on the artist, with Western African folkloric and mystical motifs becoming reoccurring themes in works of this period. On his return to Paris to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, the artist continued to explore his experiences of Africa through his artwork, but this time through the practice of etching. Rayess moved to Florence two years later on a scholarship provided by the Italian government. In the years 1957 to 1960, El Rayess worked between Lebanon, Florence and Rome whilst studying Phoenician, Assyrian, Sumerian and Pharaonic art, and his interest in the ancient Semitic art forms began to emerge in his oeuvre. This would come to be known as his ‘Sand Period’. In 1963, Rayess left Italy for Lebanon, where he truly flourished as an artist and strengthened his relationship with his native land.

Sotheby’s is pleased to offer an early work by this grand Lebanese master Aref El Rayess titled Rose Gothique from 1965. This outstanding painting reveals a critical moment in the artists’ oeuvre alluding to the tangibility of the natural landscapes of Lebanon. His earth-toned canvases are textured, raw and mysterious, as if they are the sand-covered vestiges of an ancient past. Sharing the belief that mysticism connects the man to the natural world, in the words of Lebanese philosopher Mikhael Nouaymeh who had been an inspiration for El-Rayess, the present work radiates in this sense of serenity and sanctity of nature and the stunning beauty it brings about.