Alfred Basbous: Lebanon's Sculptural Legend in Dubai

Alfred Basbous: Lebanon's Sculptural Legend in Dubai

In a new selling exhibition taking place at Sotheby's Dubai, a new selection of the Lebanese-born sculptor's work is in the spotlight. Roxane Zand takes a look back at the life and work of this singular artist
In a new selling exhibition taking place at Sotheby's Dubai, a new selection of the Lebanese-born sculptor's work is in the spotlight. Roxane Zand takes a look back at the life and work of this singular artist

A s a lesser exploited art form in Arab culture, sculpture is finally coming into its own through the recent popularity and strong performance of modernist pioneers such as Egyptians Mahmoud Mukhtar and Adam Henein. And currently, there is a resurgence of interest in an artist of equal stature, Alfred Basbous, a renowned Lebanese sculptor and Modernist pioneer whose work gained rapid popularity during his lifetime (1924 - 2006), a rare occurrence given the period during which he was working, .

Forging an artistic career from the mid 1950s, after having worked as a stone mason, Basbous collaborated with his artist brother Michel in making the transition to sculpture. His success however, was rapid, and in 1958, after a sell-out first show in Beirut, he studied in Paris, where he met contemporaries such as Henein whom he befriended. Before long he was exhibiting widely – both regionally and further afield in countries such as France, Japan and the USA.

Alfred Basbous in his studio in Rachana, Lebanon in the 1970s, courtesy of the Alfred Basbous Foundation (Courtesy The Alfred Basbous Foundation)

His early work focused on the female form and experimental representations of animals, but gradually, he began to move into abstraction where truncated or morphed shapes hinted at the entity beneath, overlaid with other transcending forms and lines.

He was influenced and inspired by the great European artists – figures such as Henry Moore (whom he met in 1971), Brancusi, Arp, and Hepworth, but never lost the purity of his own identity – always allowing his unique perspective to emerge effortlessly. In his lifetime he was awarded The Order of the Knight, and the coveted National Medal of the Order of the Cedar for his contribution to the world of arts, having also founded the International Sculpture Symposium in his native town of Rachana where the sculpture park remains a heritage site to this day.

Alfred Basbous Composition (Price on request)

From 7 - 24 November, Sothebys Dubai is holding a selling exhibition of important works by Alfred Basbous, some being shown for the first time in public. Seven sculptures complemented by one at the DIFC (which will remain for six months) in addition to an aluminum bas relief will make up the main show. Informing the core exhibition will be one further sculpture and four non-selling works on paper, which shed light on the artist’s practice, as well as some memorabilia to enhance the understanding of the sculptor’s life and process. As a giant in the field of sculpture, this exhibition is nothing short of a poetic ode to Basbous, an artist whose legacy is revered well beyond his beloved hometown of Rachana.

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