- 57
Louai Kayali
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
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Description
- Louai Kayali
- Untitled (Still Life)
- signed and dated Kayali '63; signed and dated on the reverse
- oil on canvas
- 66 by 56cm.; 26 by 22in.
Provenance
Gifted by the artist to Ms Pearl A. Baker in 1964
Condition
Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is very light craquelure on the upper half which can only be viewed under close inspection. There is no restoration apparent when viewed under the UV light.
Colour: The catalogue illustration is very accurate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."
Catalogue Note
A diplomat and worldly traveller Ms. Pearl A. Baker (1928 – 2016) began her career with the United States State Department at the young age of 23. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, her career took her across the world for the next forty years. She was privileged to have lived and worked in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Libya, Malaysia and Singapore. She was an avid conversationalist on topics of world affairs even after her retirement from the foreign services. She was a member of the Daughters of American Revolution and the Mayflower Society, both which are dedicated to preserving the heritage and history of the United States of America.
It was during a trip to Damascus, Syria in 1963-1964 to visit her friends in the Foreign Service when she met Syria’s most celebrated and important modernist artist: Louai Kayali. Her friends in Damascus introduced her to Kayali who at the time was painting portraits for the U.N. personnel in Damascus. According to her personal memoirs, Ms. Pearl A. Baker commissioned Kayali to paint her own portrait (Lot 59) for the amount of fifty US dollars. In addition, she mentions having bought a painting of the artist's niece (Lot 58) who was ten years old at the time, which she proudly hung in her living room in Minneapolis. It was in 1979 when Ms, Pearl A. Baker retired from the Foreign Service and moved back to her home state of Minnesota.
Sotheby’s is honoured to be offering these three unseen works by Kayali from the 1960s. Born in Aleppo, Syria and educated at the Academia di Belle Arti in 1960s in Florence, Kayali is considered to be one of the most important Syrian artists of the twentieth century.
It was during a trip to Damascus, Syria in 1963-1964 to visit her friends in the Foreign Service when she met Syria’s most celebrated and important modernist artist: Louai Kayali. Her friends in Damascus introduced her to Kayali who at the time was painting portraits for the U.N. personnel in Damascus. According to her personal memoirs, Ms. Pearl A. Baker commissioned Kayali to paint her own portrait (Lot 59) for the amount of fifty US dollars. In addition, she mentions having bought a painting of the artist's niece (Lot 58) who was ten years old at the time, which she proudly hung in her living room in Minneapolis. It was in 1979 when Ms, Pearl A. Baker retired from the Foreign Service and moved back to her home state of Minnesota.
Sotheby’s is honoured to be offering these three unseen works by Kayali from the 1960s. Born in Aleppo, Syria and educated at the Academia di Belle Arti in 1960s in Florence, Kayali is considered to be one of the most important Syrian artists of the twentieth century.