Written by Yaacoub Roubai Known as an avant-garde calligrapher and a pioneer of Arab modernism, Samir Sayegh was born in 1945 in Beirut. After studying at the Saint Savior Convent in Joun,...


SAMIR SAYEGH, Lebanon (1945)
Bio
Written by Yaacoub Roubai
Known as an avant-garde calligrapher and a pioneer of Arab modernism, Samir Sayegh was born in 1945 in Beirut. After studying at the Saint Savior Convent in Joun, Lebanon, he pursued an art history degree at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. As a critic and historian, he wrote numerous publications on Arab contemporary art from 1970 to 1985. Since then, Sayegh has devoted himself to the development of Arabic calligraphy into a form of modern visual art, in line with the principles of Hurufiyyathat emerged among Arab and Arab-American artists during the second half of the twentieth century. A prolific writer and a poet, he is the author of several books on Sufi poetry and Islamic art. He additionally lectured in the architecture and design department at the American University of Beirut from 2003 to 2007.
Sayegh fell in love with calligraphy at age 12 and has worked to preserve it since the 1950s. He experimented with geometric, structural and abstract possibilities to liberate Arabic letters from traditional connotations and meaning-based restrictions, instead focusing purely on aesthetic properties. Influenced by the angularKufic scripts of early Qur’ans, he created a new set of typefaces by merging traditional calligraphy with contemporary design.
To create his modern calligraphic masterpieces, Sayegh makes his own giant (up to 35cm) felt-wrapped pensto draw wide acrylic or ink lines on paper or fabric. This technique evokes Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, but Sayegh nevertheless adheres to the system of angles and proportions that has been practiced in the Arab world for many centuries. The result is strong, dynamic letters that are free from linguistic utilitarianism. The artist uses monochromatic colors and square edges so that each letter is deconstructed from its original form and unbound from semantic use. For Sayegh, the process of reading comes second to seeing.
Sayegh lives and works in Beirut.
Sources
Star, Sana Beirut, American University of Beirut. "The Art of Arabic Letters." YouTube. November 18, 2014. Accessed March 12, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=rvcXk6c3n-A
Arni, Sophie Mayuko. "Abstract Calligraphy: Lebanese and Japanese Artists Meet." Global Art Daily, October 6, 2016.
Shaban| The Daily. "An Anatomy of the Written Letter." The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. September 26, 2016. Accessed March 10, 2019. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Arts-and-Ent/Culture/2016/Sep-27/373855-an-anatomy-of-the-written-letter.ashx
Star, India Stoughton| The Daily. "The Triumph of Form over Content." The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. May 14, 2014. Accessed March 8, 2019. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Art/2014/May-14/256335-the-triumph-of-form-over-content.ashx
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2016
Bin Mater House, Bahrain
2015
Samir Al Sayegh, Dar Al Funoon, Kuwait
Aleph In Many Letters, Bin Matar House Art Space, Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, Bahrain
2014
Samir Sayegh, Agial Art Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
2009
Agial Art Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
2004
First Sharjah Biennale for Calligraphy, United Arab Emirates
2003
Agial Art Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
1997
Galerie Atassi, Damascus, Syria
1996
Galerie 50 x 70, Beirut, Lebanon
1992
Galerie 50 x 70, Beirut, Lebanon
1988
Hariri Cultural Centre, Saida, Lebanon
1988
Goethe Insitut, Tripoli
1987
Kulturzentrum, Beirut, Lebanon
1983
Galerie Elissar, Beirut, Lebanon
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019
Out of Context, Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
2018
Millenia of Creativity, NABU Museum, El Heri, Lebanon
Opening Remarks, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2016
Hurufiyya: Art & Identity, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
2014
Tariqah,Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
2013
Strokes In Dialogue, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2012
Journey of the Line, Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2011
Sharjah Biennial, United Arab Emirates
2006
Contemporary Arab Art, British Museum, London, United Kingdom
Selective Executive Works
Applied Works
Moucharrabieh of Omari Mosque, Beirut, Lebanon
Ceiling of Assila showroom, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Calligraphy for Books and Magazines
Center of Orthodox Studies, Al Namus Al Sharif, 1992
History of Banks in Lebanon.
Mediterranean Affairs magazine, Shu’un Al Awssat, 1997
Oriental Arts magazine, “Funun Sharqiah”
Selective Logos
Audi Institution, Saida, Lebanon
Soap Museum, Saida, Lebanon
Boutique Liwan, Paris, France
Mena Jet, Arab Airline Company
Syndicate of Engineers, Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon
Beiteddine 27thFestival, Lebanon
The South for Construction Company, Lebanon
Publications
Samir Sayegh. الحروف و الكلمات. Plan Bey, Beirut, 2016.
Samir Sayegh. ما بعد. Plan Bey, Beirut, 2016.
Samir Sayegh. ألف بحروف كثيرة. Beirut, 2014.
Samir Sayegh. مذكرات الحروف. Beirut, 2003.
Samir Sayegh. Saloua Raouda Choucair: Her Life and Art.Beirut, 2002.
Samir Sayegh, Contemporary Art in Syria, 1998.
Samir Sayegh, Islamic Art: A Reading Into its Philosophy & Aesthetic Characteristics, 1988.
Samir Sayegh. مقام القوس و أحوال السّهم. Beirut, 1980.
Collections
Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
Atassi Foundation, Dubai, UAE
Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
The British Museum, London, UK
SAMIR SAYEGH Artwork
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