FOUNDER NOTE

“Early in 1969, we established our Gallery in Kuwait. We ventured into the field of Arab Contemporary Art, with absolutely no knowledge of what was going on, but with a great deal of enthusiasm and encouragement from our friends Munir Al Kazzi, Issam Al Said, and Saeed and Joan Madhloum. From the beginning, we limited our collection and exhibits to the work of Arab Artists only, as we felt that not only were they generally overlooked by their societies, but that there was a general lack of exhibition space in the Middle East. We did not find it very difficult to induce the Artists to exhibit, but what was at times frustrating was the immense problems in communications; and the sometimes over-bureaucratic attitudes of most Arab Governments in not facilitating the easy movement of contemporary Arts and Crafts from one Arab Country to another.

In spite of this lack of communication between the various Artists practising in the Arab World we noticed a number of common influences that transcended all natural borders. The first and most common is the interest in Folkloric traditions as subject matter. This is evident in the Arab Folk Tales and Proverbs, in Art in Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia where painting as an art is still relatively new. The second discernable influence is the interest in Islamic Geometry and Calligraphy and in its abstraction or reduction to form and color. Each Country has a number of artists encouraged by this especially in Lebanon, Morocco and Iraq. The third influence is that of 20th Century Western Art and Graphics especially on those artists who have either lived or worked in the West for a prolonged period of time. And finally, as in any movement in Art there always exists a few individualists who filter all their experiences through a personal sieve that at times integrates and at other times separates the forces of life acting on it.

In our selection for this exhibit we were limited by time and circumstances to exhibit only the drawings and prints that form part of our collection, and we feel that although they do not do absolute justice to the work going on, they are a fair indication of current creative activity in the Arab World.”