A major retrospective of the Arab Master of Figurative art,
“Painting is my life, it is like breathing to me,” stated Syrian-born artist Marwan Kassab-Bachi (1934–2016), known simply as Marwan, in an interview when asked about his creative practice that remained uninterrupted, even as he worked at a tannery for eight years between 1962 and 1970. Marwan moved to Berlin from Damascus in 1957 in order to study at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, and remained in Germany for nearly six decades, becoming the first Arab member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin in 1994.
Best known for his depictions of the human head or ‘face landscapes’, Marwan’s work explores the human condition through a deep investigation of emotions, intense psychological states, and inner passions. Featuring mask-like faces, imposing human figures and contorted bodies, his paintings draw on a range of human emotions, offering a window into the inner world of subjective human experience.
Curated by Dr Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Christie’s Middle East & Africa, Marwan: A Soul in Exile is a non-selling exhibition, tracing Marwan’s extraordinary path, from his early figurations of the 1960’s to the haunting marionette series and his iconic facial landscapes, where the human face becomes both mirror and terrain. The retrospective will bring together works covering Marwan’s artistic practice from the beginning of his artistic practice in Syria, together with works that chart his life in Germany.
