Samir Rafi
Samir Rafi (1926 – 2004) was an Egyptian modernist painter[1] who combined modern style with lines inspired from Ancient Egypt. His pieces primarily represented modern Egypt and the surrounding region.[2] He was inspired by cubism and surrealism, creating artworks both figurative and abstract.
Biography[edit]
Samir Rafi participated to his first exhibition age 17, while he was a student of watercolour painter Shafiq Rizq.[3] In 1944 and 1945 he takes part to the exhibitions organised by the group Art et Liberté.[3] Samir Rafi studied at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo, where he obtained a diploma with specialisation in decorative arts in 1948. That year he joins the Contemporary Art Group movement. He then pursued a doctorate at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where he was one of André Lhote's students.[2][4]
Rafi taught at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo and mounted exhibitions in Egypt.[2][4] He later taught arts and history in Algiers.[2]
One of his paintings reached the price of 87,500 GBP at a Christie's sale in 2019.[5]
Artworks[edit]
- Untitled, 1960, oil on canvas, 162.5 x 138 cm, sold 87,500 GPB in 2019 at Christie's [5]
- Nus, 1945, oil on canvas, 173 x 163 cm, collection Cheikh Hassan M. A. Al Thani[6][7]
- La Sorcière, 1946, oil on canvas, 77 x 46 cm, collection Nadim Elias[8]
- Momie ressuscitée, oil on burlap laid down on panel, 1959, 215 x 68 cm, sold for 35,000 GPB in 2018 at Christie's [9]
References[edit]
- ^ Bardaouil, Sam (2016-10-17). Surrealism in Egypt: Modernism and the Art and Liberty Group. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78672-163-1.
- ^ a b c d Catalogue Exhibit 2014
- ^ a b Artdaily. "Green Art Gallery opens an exhibition of works by Egyptian artist Samir Rafi". artdaily.cc. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b "Samir Rafi - Artist Facts". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b Christie's sale 2019
- ^ Bardaouil, Sam; Fellrath, Till (2016). Bardaouil et Fellrath 2016 (exhibition, Europe, 2016-2018). Centre Pompidou/Skira/Art reoriented. p. 85. ISBN 978-2-37074-030-4.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Stephanie; Matthew Gale (2021). D'Alessandro et Gale 2021. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 72 and 323. ISBN 978-1-58839-727-0. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, exhibition 4 October 2021-30 January 2022, and Tate Modern, London, exhibition, 25 February - 29 August 2022
- ^ Bardaouil & Fellrath 2016, p. 185.
- ^ Christie's sales
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