Art that glorifies women in all stages of life

Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business

Renowned Middle Eastern modernist, Alfred Basbous’s (1924 – 2006) artwork ‘Femme Assise’ was showcased at the Art Dubai Modern 2016. The contemporary work of art at the event exhibited a unique range of painting and sculpture.
One of the participants at the event was Alfred Basbous foundation; the curator showcased late sculptor’s Femme Assise collection, which is dedicated to glorify women in all stages of life. This collection encompassed art pieces of single or coupled, from birth to motherhood.
He sculpted voluptuous and feminine forms in stone, bronze and marble. In a pure and modern style, his sculptures capture the grace of the female figure.
The curator, Fadi Alfred Basbous told Emirates Buisness “There is a huge appreciation for art in the region and Alfred Basbous is a Middle Eastern, he is a pioneer modernist, he studied in Paris during 1969-1974 and came back to the MEA cause he was attached to his roots and made his home Rachana a cultural heritage named by the UNESCO, as the first open air museum in the region.”
“He studied art in French schools but he worked with a Middle Eastern heart and he was faithful to his feelings. Since UAE is becoming a hub, it becomes a door the world of collectors and art lovers to experience the work of one of our most celebrated artists in the region. The art of Alfred Basbous is rich in modulation, because in his work he always tries to avoid the decoration, the cute and the stylish and go towards combining the aesthetic harmony in conflict and struggle in the same artwork. He presents his artworks to us impressed by reality but not depicted to it,” he added.
Talking about the art industry in the Emirates, Fadi deems that the region has a high calibre as the residents of the region highly appreciate the talent, therefore, such exhibitions provide great opportunity for the budding artist to showcase their work, “After my own experience participating in almost 17 art fairs in the last 2 years, I believe it is one of the best fairs in the region because it is well organised and the people behind each fair are very professional. They allow each artist to shine with their art works in any form.”
Moving towards the Alfred Basbous work, Fadi, explained the style of the legendary sculpture artist work, “Basbous sculpted slender shapes, with no sharp angle.
“Even in his cubic and rectangular structures, joints are always rounded. Sensitive and demanding, he polished the surfaces in the extreme, making them soft and sensual, when he allowed the stone to remain rough; the relief is more welcoming than disturbing. The curves come into dialogue with each other, flirt, intersect, defy or protect themselves. Without suffering from any symmetry, the works of Alfred Basbous breathe nevertheless the balance. They are often provided with openings that take the eye beyond the surface, inside the material itself.”
He further emphasised on the growth and demand of art pieces, “The UAE market is the ‘Dynamo’ of the art industry in the region, the facilities you have in Dubai from airport to hotels and amazing infrastructure makes Dubai an international hub for collectors all over the world and not only the region.”