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Lot Essay
Carrara Marble is a richly evocative work of pioneer Lebanese sculptor Alfred Basbous, notably for its beautifully polished surfaces, harmonious in both form and perspective. Belonging to the first generation of post-World War artists, Basbous traces his work from the Phoenician statuary to the neoclassical tradition and modernism of Ecole de Paris and its exploration into the human figure. His lifelong pursuit into exploring the human form and its abstract properties allowed him to focus on aesthetics of shape, movement, line and material, harkening to artists such as Auguste Rodin, Jean Arp and Henry Moore. Using materials bronze, wood and marble, his works adhere to a sensuality and richness in its simplicity of its polished form that avoids decoration, finding beauty as a perfect harmony between various elements.
Executed in 1982, this was produced during a time when the artist worked on variations of both individual and intimate renderings, whether featuring classically single figures or embracing lovers intertwined.
Born in Rachana in 1924, a small village overlooking the Mediterranean in Northern Lebanon, Basbous hailed a successful career as a sculptor, beginning with his first exhibition in Beirut at Alecco Saab gallery in 1958. In 1960, he received a scholarship from the French government, training under the sculptor René Collamarini at L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris and in that following year, his works were included in the International Sculpture Exhibition at the Museé Rodin in Paris.
The artists received various international awards, including the ‘Prix de l’Orient’ in Beirut in 1962 and the prize in the Biennale in Alexandria in 1974. Upon his death in 2006, the President of the Lebanese Republic awarded him the Medal of the Lebanese Order of Merit in Gold.
The works of Basbous are part of worldwide public and private collections, including the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Musee Rodin in Paris. His sculptures can be found in many public areas throughout Lebanon.
From 1994 to 2004, Basbous organized the International Symposium of Sculpture in Rachana, Lebanon, where famous sculptors from around the world were invited to create, sculpt and exhibit their works alongside his own.
It is with these accomplishments that Alfred, along with his brother, Michel another acclaimed sculptor, left their legacy in Rachana, making the village into an artistic and cultural centre, nominated by UNESCO as Global Village of Outdoor Sculptures’ for its open-air museum run today by the Alfred Basbous Foundation.
Executed in 1982, this was produced during a time when the artist worked on variations of both individual and intimate renderings, whether featuring classically single figures or embracing lovers intertwined.
Born in Rachana in 1924, a small village overlooking the Mediterranean in Northern Lebanon, Basbous hailed a successful career as a sculptor, beginning with his first exhibition in Beirut at Alecco Saab gallery in 1958. In 1960, he received a scholarship from the French government, training under the sculptor René Collamarini at L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris and in that following year, his works were included in the International Sculpture Exhibition at the Museé Rodin in Paris.
The artists received various international awards, including the ‘Prix de l’Orient’ in Beirut in 1962 and the prize in the Biennale in Alexandria in 1974. Upon his death in 2006, the President of the Lebanese Republic awarded him the Medal of the Lebanese Order of Merit in Gold.
The works of Basbous are part of worldwide public and private collections, including the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Musee Rodin in Paris. His sculptures can be found in many public areas throughout Lebanon.
From 1994 to 2004, Basbous organized the International Symposium of Sculpture in Rachana, Lebanon, where famous sculptors from around the world were invited to create, sculpt and exhibit their works alongside his own.
It is with these accomplishments that Alfred, along with his brother, Michel another acclaimed sculptor, left their legacy in Rachana, making the village into an artistic and cultural centre, nominated by UNESCO as Global Village of Outdoor Sculptures’ for its open-air museum run today by the Alfred Basbous Foundation.