Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar (Egypt, 1925-1965) Untitled (From the Man & Mechanics period)
Provenance : Provenance: Property from the private collection of Dr Mohammed Said Farsi Thence by descent to the present owner Published: Valérie Didier and Dr. Hussam Rashwan, El-Gazzar Drawings, Éditions Norma, Paris, 2023, p.267 Property from the distinguished collection of Dr Mohammed Said Farsi Lots 1-4 Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi is one of the Middle East's most remarkable patrons of the visual arts. Farsi was born in 1935 in the South West quarter of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In 1956, 35 students including Farsi were chosen from all over The Kingdom to be sent to study abroad for further education. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies in Architecture and Town Planning from the University of Alexandria he returned from Egypt to his hometown where he spent 10 years working in the Bureau of Town Planning in the Western District. In 1972, Dr. Farsi became the first Mayor of Jeddah whilst also obtaining a Master's Degree from the University of Alexandria for his thesis on the architecture and town planning of Mecca. Farsi resigned from public office in 1986 in order to focus on his research. Farsi later received a PhD in Architecture and Town Planning when he started writing a series of essays on art history and architecture that were collected and published as The Story of Art in Jeddah in 1989. Dr. Farsi's vision as a city planner was to integrate important contemporary art into public spaces as he believed it would enrich the lives of the inhabitants and reflect the ongoing cultural significance of the city both locally and globally. He commissioned over 400 pieces by Arab and International artists including works by the great modern masters Henry Moore, Victor Vasarely and Cesar. In 1991 a book entitled Jeddah City of Art was published by his son Hani to celebrate his father's achievements. A driving force in the Egyptian art scene, Dr Farsi offered significant guidance and support to young emerging artists and at the same time he promoted and collected a great deal of modern Egyptian art. Farsi became the only Modern Egyptian Art collector to have systematically documented the works in his collection, commissioning a book that was published in 1998 by the critic and scholar Dr. Sobhy Sharouny entitled A Museum in a Book: The Farsi Art Collection 'The Egyptian Works' Owned by Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi. Dr. Farsi's profound fondness for Egypt, notably Alexandria found expression in the creation of his astounding collection, he himself commented that 'Living intimately within Alexandria's enchanted atmosphere of the 1950s had the greatest effect in forming my artistic consciousness'. Dr Farsi's interests later spread over a much broader spectrum as he also began collecting classical Islamic Art.
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