As part of the "From Beirut Art + Design scene" sale, PIASA presents on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 6 pm, several emblematic artists of the Near and Middle East, among which Mustafa Fathi.
Born in Deraa, Syria, Moustafa Fathi (1942 - 2009) began to draw and to engrave at a very young age. In 1966, he graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts of Damascus University, then went to France to study engraving and lithography at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
In the Parisian capital, he discovered the treasures of the Syrian artistic heritage held in the French archaeological collections. He also forged his taste for contemporary art and soon developed a deeper understanding of abstraction, notably throughout the works of painters such as Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and Jackson Pollock.
On his return to Syria, the artist researched the traditional folk art of his country and reinvested the millennial heritage of Syrian textile production. Using cut-out and engraved plates, he prints multiple small cells of complex designs on cotton, creating mixed works recalling both Bedouin textile motifs, abstract expressionism or even ancient hieroglyphics.
