Jabre Capital Partners founder, CIO and CEO Philippe Jabre leads an independent wealth management firm and multi-family office based in Geneva, Switzerland. In his spare time, Mr Jabre enjoys a diverse array of interests and activities, chief among them art collecting. This article will look at Artists of the Middle East, a book by Saeb Eigner that explores the work of over 250 modern and contemporary artists.
Saeb Eigner’s book provides a comprehensive overview of the Middle Eastern art scene from 1900 to the present day, including both prominent and lesser-known artists from a broad range of North African and Middle Eastern nations. The book includes detailed biographies on key artists such as Bahman Mohassess and Shafic Abboud, as well as focusing on contemporary trailblazers such as Shirin Neshat and Nabil Nahas. The attached PDF takes a closer look at the life and works of Nabil Nahas.
Artists of the Middle East sheds light on areas that have not been widely covered, serving as both a complement to previous scholarship and as a valuable resource for Middle Eastern modern and contemporary art aficionados. Middle Eastern art has traditionally been viewed through a somewhat narrow lens, largely serving as a political commentary or a response to conflict. The attached infographic contains an overview of some of the most expensive Middle Eastern artworks ever sold.
Published by Thames & Hudson, Eigner’s tome provides an enlightening glimpse into creative perspectives rooted in the Middle Eastern art scene, with the book compiling an A-to-Z list of well-known artists, incorporating their biographies as well as photographs of their most celebrated works. Saeb Eigner uncovers the region’s diversity and plethora of creative influences, examining how heritage and culture are woven into Middle Eastern contemporary art. Saloua Raouda Choucair, Samia Halaby and Inji Efflatoun are just some of the women artists featured in Saeb Eigner’s book.
As Eigner reflects, for a long time when it came to global art history, many Middle Eastern artists were left out of the bigger picture. Nevertheless, times are changing, with increasing numbers of scholarly publications turning their attentions to the region, including major catalogue raisonnés on iconic figures such as Mahmoud Said, Dia Al-Azzwi, Jewad Selim and Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar. Artists of the Middle East shines a light on this thriving art scene, illustrating how creatives from across the region are laying the foundations for future generations of artists through aesthetics intrinsically rooted in Middle Eastern culture.
