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Lot Essay
Lebanese artist Alfred Basbous delves deep into the human form and its many intricacies within his sculptures, searching to find the essence of beauty, and stressing this in the foundation of shape, line and form within works of wood and bronze. In Eagle, sculpted in 1987, we view that of a symbol of strength, courage and determination within the Arab world crafted in chiseled talent and skill. Largely spending his time polishing the surface of his sculptures and focusing on their finely carved details, Basbous gives a tactile quality to these soft and sensual figures.
The artist 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 the artist's 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 Musée 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.