03 Paintings, Middle East Artists, Nazir Nabaa's Untitled (Three Ladies), with Footnotes, #72

Nazir Nabaa (Syrian, 1941-2016)

Untitled (Three Ladies), c. 1991

Oil on canvas, in three parts

each: 27 ½ x 43 ½in. (69.5 x 109.5cm.)

Private collection

Sold for USD 87,500 in Mar 2017

As these women are set against intricately and highly rich ornamented backgrounds with arabesque geometric designs, Nabaa references the highly decorated interiors of old Damascene homes whilst simultaneously paying homage to the passage of time. Heavily adorned in beautiful Levantine elements. their beautifully intricate dresses also incorporate arabesque embroidery that merges and interlinks with the arabesque of the background.

The central figure is illustrated as a beautiful and chaste goddess with a flowery crown and veil, flowing richly behind her elegant figure. With her crossed arms, she guards a precious secret, holding tight onto some mysterious edifices. 

On her left, another young woman, pearls adorning her head, symbolises purity. Her wavy hair cascades like a waterfall onto her shoulder, evoking the richness of the land. She symbolises civilisation and enlightenment using the burning and fiery glow of the light, guiding her goddess to the truth. 

On the right side, the third figure gracefully holds gathered fruits in a basket, a symbol of both springtime and fertility. Set within the confines of his frame as well as the arabesque interior, Nabaa enforces the sanctity of marriage, an ideal that remained a big focus as an underlying theme in many of his works. 

Ranging from depictions of Arab women to abstracted portraiture, still lifes and political posters, Nazir Nabaa’s diverse oeuvre is precise in details and textures. A celebrated professor and artist, the thread that unites his paintings is the research that he commits to each one. Alongside that rigour lay his philosophy: “I search for one thing, besides artistic research, I search for the soul.” More on this painting

Born in Damascus, Nazir Nabaa (1939–2016) graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo in 1965. During his studies in Egypt, he met his wife Shalabiya Ibrahim, also an artist. Later, he received another degree from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1974. He was a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus and he was bestowed the National Garter for his work in 2006.

Using vibrant colours, Nabaa’s best-known works portray women amid rich Oriental backdrops as a representation of homeland and history, wherein these archetypical depictions of woman are used as symbols of nationalism. As regional conflicts heightened, the subject of his work began to shift to political themes such as the Palestinian crisis, Lebanese civil war and the American invasion of Iraq.

Nabaa has shown his work at museums such as the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts and has won the Judges Panel award at the Biennials of Alexandria and Cairo. His work has been acquired by institutions such as the Jalanbo Collection, Barjeel Art Foundation and Dalloul Art Foundation. More on Nazir Nabaa

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