Visual Artists’ Works Rise to Prominence Posthumously: Saudi Mohamed Al-Saleem as an Exemplary Symbol
Saudi artist Mohammed Al-Saleem broke a world record for Saudi artists in 2023, coining $1.1 million at Sotheby’s 20th Century Art/Middle East sale in London. The late artist’s artworks continue to make history at international auctions and exhibitions.
In 2024, a fascinating artwork by Al Saleem coined GBP 500,000 at Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale by Christie’s.
1986 Untitled Work
The 1986 artwork secured $1.1 million in 2023, seven times its pre-sale estimate.
Inspired by the skyline of Riyadh that radiates from the desert, the artwork offers a new reimagination to the distant dunes of the desert horizon through contained slabs of color. With these several slabs, the colors appear as if they are struggling against one another across the surface of the image.
“Its layering and shading suggest a search for subtle accords and variations similar to that with which a composer achieves musical harmony, creating an astonishing sense of energy and dynamism,” Alexandra Roy, the Sotheby’s auction head, said.
1939 MARAT
(In the light of faith, we see happiness)
Painted at a crucial moment in the artist’s career, In the Light of Faith, You See Happiness represents Al-Saleem’s later series which highlights his exploration of spatial divisions. Interestingly, it marks his first attempts to insert elements of optimism amidst personal financial crisis.
(1939, MARAT – 1997, PRATO) offers a realistic impression of the force of the sun and its effects in nature.
MARAT perfectly shows how the sun greatly affects the landscape by spreading its rays on every element on the earth. Through this perspective, Al-Saleem inserted various aesthetic compositions in the subjective forms and colors of the existing elements.
Therefore, these compositions were revealed through that spreading movement of sunlight, even where there is no shadow.
“If I have ignored prismatic colors and overlooked shadow and light, that is because the force of the sun in our land exhibits chromatic and formal variations in warm colors and bronzes that blend with the colors of the spectrum, producing distinct tones and rhythms,” the artist stated.
Thus, if we had to give this a label, we might call it ‘desert art,’ according to Al Saleem.
Brought by the artist’s daughter Najla Al-Saleem, this rare work coined GBP 500,000 at Christie’s auction.
Horizonism Style
بفضل من الله بيعت لوحة السليم (رحمه الله) في مزاد كريستيز بالأمس بمبلغ GBP 500,000 pic.twitter.com/JTW5TOgHsi
— Dar Alfnoon Alsaudia (@daralfnoonsa) November 1, 2024
The artwork marks the artist’s first attempt to test his Horizonism method with calligraphic compositions. Al Saleem adopted the term ‘Horizonism’ as the most distinctive concept to depict his native Saudi landscape.
Accordingly, he replaced the desert elements in the horizon with Arabic Calligraphy offering a magnificent harmonization between form and landscape.
“When I asked an Arab critic, Hussein Bikar for his opinion about my works, he told me ‘This style belongs to you alone, the desert style. Through it. I recognized this art as a Saudi art,’ Al Saleem added.
Mohammed Al-Saleem
Al-Saleem is one of Saudi Arabia’s founders of modern art scene. He was born in 1939 and became one of the pioneering artists of his generation who greatly elevated Saudi art scene.
Long Journey
Al-Saleem organized his first exhibition in 1967, marking a significant milestone in Riyadh’s art scene.
Interestingly, he was one of the first artists to leave the Kingdom for the sake of a formal arts education. In 1970, he headed to the Academia delle Belle Arte in Florence.
In a remarkable step to boost the artistic movement in the Kingdom, Al-Saleem established Dar Al Funoon Al Sa’udiyyah (The Saudi Art House) In 1979.
Inaugurated by Prince Faisal bin Fahad Al-Saud, the house represented a significant platform for many Saudis and non-Saudis to meet and share their artistic ideas and works. Moreover, it provided students and emerging artists with free art supplies to enable them to create their own.
That was not the end; as in 1980, Al Saleem established the International Gallery, an independent art gallery run by the Saudi Art House. It hosted approximately twelve solo and collective exhibitions, individually funded or sponsored by government and non-governmental organizations.
Distinctive Style
Through stunning artworks, the artist offered an unprecedented blend between modernist abstraction and traditional elements from daily Saudi life. Such a unique perspective was obviously translated to new abstract and figurative techniques revolving around contemporaneity and authenticity within heritage.
Strong International Presence
Several national and international shows have exhibited Al-Saleem’s artworks, as follows:
- Venice Biennale in 2024 and 2017
- NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery in 2022
- Diriyah Biennale in 2021
- Sotheby’s 20th Century Art/Middle East sale in 2023
- Christie’s Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art sale in 2024
Furthermore, his works have highlighted several important public and private collections including Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riyadh, and others.
Ongoing Success After Demise
Several Saudi artists also gained a global fame after their demise such as Mounirah Mosly and Abdul Jabbar Al-Yahya.
Mounirah Mosly
Mosly is one of the first female artists in the Kingdom who was born in Makkah in 1954. In 1968, Mosly hosted her first show in Saudi Arabia at the Dar Al-Tarbia Al-Hadetha school in Jeddah. She organized another exhibition in 1973 in Riyadh, becoming the first female Saudi artist to hold a solo exhibition in the country’s capital. Clearly, the female artist paid close attention to material and texture, using natural materials that evoked heritage and her own travels. Her artworks were offered in Sotheby’s auction in 2023.
Abdul Jabbar Al-Yahya
Al-Yahya represents one of the pioneering modernist artists who defined Saudi Arabia’s modern art scene. The artist traveled abroad to secure a professional artistic career beyond the Kingdom. Al-Yahya had a special knack and distinguished style of painting. He delved into wider horizons adopting surrealism, cubism and abstraction in his style. His artworks have been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from 11,588 USD to 339,920 USD.
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