The Rise of Arab Art

The book cover for The Rise of Arab Art, with the title in large white letters layered over a red map of the Arabian Peninsula and parts of North Africa.

The cover of the book The Rise of Arab Art, showing the title in large white letters overlaid on a solid red map of the Arab world.

A two-page spread from a book, pages 216 and 217, showing three photographs across the top. The photos are close-ups of three male mannequins from dioramas in the Dubai Museum. Each mannequin represents a different phenotype and wears distinct traditional headwear. The surrounding text in English discusses the art market and artists in the Persian Gulf region.

A composition of three photographs against a white background. On the left, a sign for Labour Camp No. 49 is set against a pale blue sky. On the top right, a stark white hallway features an open, sunlit door. On the bottom right, three old, weathered metal safes stand outdoors under an awning.

A four-panel image showing scenes from an art exhibition and studio. At top left is a studio with a work table, red carts, and various artworks. At top right is a wall with text in English and Arabic illuminated by spotlights. At bottom left, a purple wall holds a photo of men in a workshop and a red color swatch. At bottom right, a long white gallery wall displays a single row of small, colorful abstract paintings.

A two-page spread from a book about an ancient marble bull's head sculpture. At the top, a black-and-white photo from 1967 shows the artifact in a rough state, next to two color photos from 2017 and 2018 that show it cleaned and mounted for display. The text below discusses the history of the artifact, its theft, and its repatriation.

A page layout for an article titled Echoes of Algiers: Art, Memory, and Belonging by Bilal Akkouche. Two photos are placed side-by-side, depicting a narrow, weathered alley in the Casbah of Algiers with old buildings and steep stone steps. The text of the article begins below the photos.

A page from an academic publication by Silvia Naef titled Creating and Exhibiting Modern Iraqi Art, in Baghdad or Elsewhere: Between Individual Initiatives and State Support. The page features a two-column layout with the large title on the left and the body text on the right discussing the origins of the modern art scene in Iraq.

A page from a book, numbered 492, featuring a photograph and text. The photo at the top left, captioned Fashion Trust Arabia, 2024, shows a large group of elegantly dressed men and women posing on a stage. Below the image, the text discusses Qatar's culture program, the Rubaiyat art quadrennial, and plans for a permanent national pavilion in Venice.

The table of contents from a book, laid out across a two-page spread. The title, Contents, is in a large black serif font at the top left. The entries are arranged in three columns, listing titles, authors, and page numbers for various essays and sections, primarily about art and culture in the Arab world.

A two-page spread from a book about Algerian art. The left page features a painting by M'hamed Issiakhem of a woman standing before a textured wall. The right page shows an abstract cityscape painting by Mohammed Khadda. Both pages include text discussing the artists' work in post-independence Algeria.

A two-page spread from a book, pages 218 and 219, with text about artist Hassan Sharif. Three color photographs are included: one of the Maritime Museum in Abu Dhabi, one of the Popular Heritage Museum in Kuwait, and one of an installation by Hassan Sharif at the Venice Biennale, which shows shelves full of assorted objects.

A two-page spread from an article titled Beirut Art Biome 1990–2025. The left page features a high-contrast, black and white map of Beirut showing locations of art galleries and museums, with a numbered key below it. The right page contains descriptive text about various art foundations and museums in the city.

An open book shows a two-page spread from an essay. The top left features Mohamed Melehi's 1968 painting Composition, with colorful horizontal waves on a yellow-green field. The top right shows Mohammed Chabâa's 1974 Composition, an angular abstract painting with interlocking shapes in warm and cool colors. Below are two columns of text by Nada Shabout, titled The Uncertainty of Times, discussing modern Arab art.

A close-up of a book's back cover with red text on a white page. A paragraph at the top discusses art from the Arab world, and below it are two columns of names. A large, abstract red shape is printed over the text, obscuring some of the words and names.

A high-angle photo of an open art book laid flat on a white surface. The book is open to pages 276 and 277, which feature black text and two color reproductions of modern Iraqi paintings. On the left is The Qorra by Shakir Hassan Al-Said, and on the right is Dice Game in a Café - Baghdad by Hafidh Al-Droubi.

An open, multi-page, accordion-fold publication, likely an art catalog, is spread out horizontally against a white background. The pages are organized into a grid, displaying dozens of small, numbered thumbnail images of various artworks, including paintings, photographs, drawings, and portraits.

A photograph of an open book displaying a two-page spread with four color photos. On the left page, a tour bus for the AlUla Future Culture Summit is parked in front of a rock face, and below it is a photo of an ATM in a wall niche. The right page shows two photos of interior spaces under construction, one empty and the other with two ladders and exposed framework.

The Rise of Arab Art

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Edited by: Andrée Sfeir-Semler

Graphic Design: JMMP

Texts by: Tarek Abou El Fetouh, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Bilal Akkouche, Zeina Arida, Richard Armstrong, Kader Attia, Dana Awartani, Negar Azimi, Sam Bardaouil, Yto Barrada, Myriam Ben Salah, Antonia Carver, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Mai Eldib, Reem Fadda, Ben Floyd, Massimiliano Gioni, Valerie L. Hillings, Abdellah Karroum, Alexandre Kazerouni, Ali Khadra, Mona Khazindar, Anneka Lenssen, Sophie Makariou, Rabih Mroué, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Silvia Naef, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jean-Marc Prevost, Hoor Al Qasimi, Jim Quilty, Walid Raad, Khalil Rabah, Yasmine El Rashidi, Sarah Rifky, Sarah Rogers, Kareem Sakka, Alia Al-Senussi, Nada Shabout, Wael Shawky, Suha Shoman, Farida Sultan, Rayyane Tabet, Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Christine Thomé, William Wells, Akram Zaatari

English

September 2025, 576 Pages, 100 colored photos

Lay-Flat Binding with Flaps

202mm x 246mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-6111-6

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

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Since the 1990s, contemporary art in the Arab world has experienced exponential growth and numerous changes. With the appearance of artists from the region in international exhibitions, the dynamics within the art scenes changed significantly. Museums & art foundations began to collect, biennials were launched, contemporary art galleries, fairs, residencies and schools emerged in many countries, and the governments of the Gulf states launched megaprojects. This reader serves as a guide for anyone interested in the foundations, structures and growth of these art scenes. It also functions as an anthology of what is now considered established in the Arab world, with contributions covering all aspects of the subject—both from across the region and from a Western perspective.