Fahrelnissa Zeid

Private Collection, France
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Condition: This work is in good condition. The work has been relined around the edges, without covering the reverse; where the original work still shows and had been restretched. There is a bit of wear and light paint loss on the outer edges due to age which are not visible once under the current frame. There is very light craquelure on central and upper left. There is no restoration visible under the UV light. Colour: The catalogue illustration is accurate; however, it fails to convey the gloss and the brighter colours in the original work.
"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."

"Instead of the brilliant kaleidoscope that once seemed to surround me, I can only perceive, all around me, a winding labyrinth of hard and heavy black lines. I feel lost among them, unable to emerge from the maze of my sorrow and my mourning."

Fahrelnissa Zeid cited in: André Parinaud, Ed., Fahrelnissa Zeid, Amman 1984, p. 156

Born into a family of intellectuals, Fahrelnissa Zeid lived to become one of the most important Turkish artists of the twentieth century throughout her highly colourful and at times turbulent life. One of the first female artists to exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London in the late 1950s, she travelled around Europe, the Middle East and America, yet deeply connected to her roots and the Oriental style which she reinterpreted through abstract expressionism.  

Going through a personal tragedy in her own life in 1958, with the massacre of her family following a coup d'état in Iraq, the artist felt compelled to paint more tragic and dark compositions symbolic of her own despair. This painting is an outstanding example of the artist's work dating to the late 1950s and early 1960s, when she used more expressive brushstrokes and darker tonalities.

Showing similarities with Untitled, circa 1954, which was sold in these rooms on 15 April 2010, the present work is composed of abstract forms painted in greens, yellows, reds and blues which are encircled by thick black lines. Zeid was not an artist who followed a strict plan before starting to paint; hence, the present work is a testament to the artist's free spirit and spontaneity. The expressive brushstrokes and free-flowing forms seem to find their place as they complete the composition with each layer visible. The complex character of the composition exudes on the viewer a sense of urgency and encompasses the pain felt by the artist during the development of the work.

Considered to be among the leading female artists of Ecole de Paris, Untitled by Fahrelnissa Zeid is a testimony to her creativity and talent as an artist.