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Coverbild Aref el Rayess
A two-page spread from a book. On the left is a small, hand-drawn illustration with handwritten French text and colorful lines. The right page features the table of contents for a book about the artist Aref el Rayess, listing chapter titles, author names, and page numbers in black print against a white background.
An open book or catalog spread. The left page shows a photograph of a modern art gallery with white walls and a concrete floor. A large, vertical mixed-media artwork featuring a portrait of a man in a keffiyeh hangs on the wall. The right page contains an essay titled Aref el Rayess: Transcendental Political Commitment.
A two-page spread from an art book on a white background. On the left page is a vibrant, stylized painting of a seated woman with long black hair holding a baby, with another child and a dark cat beside her. On the right page is a more muted, modern portrait of a blonde woman against a pink and black background. Captions are visible below each painting.
A vibrant abstract painting with distinct, colorful sections. In the top left, a red-orange orb is centered within a ring of blue, white, and gold geometric patterns and thick red and black arcs. This is separated from a field of bright yellow, figure-like shapes on a textured gold background. The bottom features a wide, curving pink form with delicate white lines.
A two-page spread from an art book displays two surrealist paintings from 1966. On the left, a painting in blue tones shows a man sleeping while a child and a weeping, shrouded figure lie awake beside him. On the right, a colorful, abstract painting depicts a figure whose body melds with the fluid, swirling shapes of their bedsheets in a dreamlike state.
A stylized painting in bold colors depicting a confrontation. On the left, rows of uniformed soldiers in blue helmets and purple-and-orange chevron uniforms collectively hold a large spear. They aim it towards a monstrous, crowned figure on the right, which has a wide, gaping mouth with sharp teeth dripping a red substance. The creature's triangular head features two different, mismatched eyes, and the background is a turbulent dark red.
A Cubist-style painting depicting robotic and mechanical forms in shades of blue, green, and grey. On the right, a large, angular, mask-like face has yellow eyes and a single eye within a red square for a mouth. On the left, a second figure with a pink, jagged profile and a striped arm appears to operate complex machinery with two prominent, dark, coiled tubes.
A two-page book spread displays two modernist oil paintings from 1978 about the Lebanese Civil War. The left painting shows a man with one leg on crutches standing amid a desolate, angular landscape of grey rubble. The right painting depicts a group of somber figures huddled in a ruined industrial setting, where a boy operates an electrical device in the foreground.
A grid of twelve modernist paintings arranged in three rows and four columns. The artworks share a surreal and geometric style, featuring vibrant colors and depicting a mix of human figures, stylized portraits, crowds, and abstract compositions.
A surreal landscape painting of a vast desert with dark mountains on the horizon. The scene shows three distinct architectural settlements: a traditional white-walled village on the left, low and futuristic domed structures in the center, and large, white geometric buildings including a stepped pyramid and a tower in the green-grassed foreground.
A surrealist painting by Hasib Halim El Rayes in a vibrant landscape. A woman in a white dress holds up a large, collapsing block covered in Arabic script. To her left is a carved stone monument and a large, pale face floating in the sky. To her right, a man’s face emerges from the ground at the base of a large, dark tree. The background features pink mountains.
A two-page book spread. The left page shows four photographs of a man: one of him embracing a woman, another of him with two men in front of a large sculpture, a black and white photo of him outside a cafe called Bar Icea Columbia, and another black and white photo of him at a desk in a studio. The right page contains a text timeline of events from 1986 to 2005.
Aref el Rayess
An Artist from Lebanon 1928-2005
€ 44.00
VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout
Author: Andrée Sfeir-Semler, Hala el Rayess, Catherine David, Joseph Tarrab, Sam Bardaouil, Till Fellrath, Nadine El-Khoury, Sabine Chaaban
Editor-in-chief: Sfeir-Semler Gallery
English
April 2024, 176 Pages, 170 Photos
Paperback with Lay-Flat Binding
222mm x 282mm
ISBN: 978-3-7757-5735-5

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


According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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First monograph on the Libanese artist
The Lebanese artist Aref el Rayess (1928-2005) pro- duced an impressive œuvre of paintings, drawings, collages, and sculptures, that remains largely unstudied. Rayess was an independent thinker, a political man and a free spirit. He lived in many places and his works reflect the spirit of those respective countries, times and art scenes. The subjects of his works range from individuals and society, abstraction and nature. His style changed constantly, but always remained unmistakable. This first monograph is dedicated to Aref el Rayess's multifaceted artistic practice, focussing specifically on his paintings between 1949 and 2005.

AREF EL RAYESS (1928-2005) studied art in Paris with Fernand Léger, among others, and resided in Lebanon, France, and Italy. With the onset of the civil war in 1975, he relocated to Saudi Arabia, where he assumed the role of art commissioner for the city of Jeddah. Rayess actively participated in exhibitions worldwide.
EXHIBITION
Biennale di Venezia 
April 20-November 24, 2024
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