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NABIL NAHAS
TETHYS
30 OCTOBER – 5 JANUARY 2024
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READ FULL ESSAY
—Gilles Khoury, Excerpt from his essay written for Nabil Nahas: Tethys.“As one discovers Nabil Nahas’s world and language, situated somewhere between the material and cosmic realms, it is certain that we are met with a body of work that defies easy categorization, challenging the boundaries of art and inspiring us to unearth a silent and eerie relationship between nature and geometry.”
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NABIL NAHAS
(b. 1949, Beirut)Nabil Nahas is Lebanon's most renowned artist, having established himself before the current heightened interest in contemporary art of the Middle East, first in New York art circles as a master of colour, texture and atmosphere. Although thoroughly schooled in Western abstract painting, Nahas takes his inspiration from a diverse range of influences, most significantly nature, and occasionally Islamic art, in particular its abstract geometric and chromatic qualities. In July 2013 he was awarded the honour of the National Order of the Cedar, for services to Lebanese culture. Nahas currently lives and works in New York.His works can be found in the collections of Tate Modern in London, UK; the British Museum, London, UK; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, NY, USA; the Vorhees Zimmerli Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA; the Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, USA; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Barjeel Foundation, Sharjah, UAE; the Flint Institute of Art, Michigan, USA; the Michigan Museum of Art UMMA, Michigan, USA; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar; and the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. -
TETHYS
Nabil Nahas, drawing inspiration from his Mediterranean roots —reconnecting to the places of his childhood, Lebanon and Egypt and a deep affinity for the human soul— explores these themes through the lens of colour, texture, and the enigmatic world of nature. He takes cues from celestial and marine phenomena, creating multi-layered paintings that evoke a sense of biomorphic and organic forms. Nahas's artistic expression is rooted in abstract geometry and three-dimensional explorations, playing with scale to invite visitors to delve into microcosmic worlds within the canvas. Nabil Nahas presents us with a carefully curated selection of his latest paintings that transport us into a realm bursting with vibrant hues, tactile experiences, and hypnotic atmospheres. His artwork features vivid depictions of cedars, olive trees, palms, alongside his evolving Fractal series. -
Fractals and sea stars
One of the distinctive techniques used by Nahas in his Fractal paintings involves the ‘encrusted’ technique, where he constructs a three-dimensional surface by layering textures and materials. The artist builds up layers of paint and materials, allowing some to protrude while others recede. This mimics the geological formations and organic growth found in the sea floor or the craters of the underwater world. He often uses blues and greens to evoke the colours of the ocean, but he also incorporates earthy tones and metallic accents to simulate the shimmering and the reflective nature of water.
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‘Tethys’ refers to the rich history of the Tethys Sea —an enigmatic body of water that once stretched across what is now the Mediterranean region, Middle East, and parts of Asia. This ancient sea played a pivotal role in shaping the geological and biological evolution of our planet. In Greek mythology, Tethys, born of Uranus and Gaia, was both the sister and spouse of the Titan Oceanus and played the role of the mother to the river gods and the Oceanids.
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Nabil NahasUntitled, 2023Acrylic and pumice on canvas45.7 x 45.7 x 15.2 cm
18 x 18 x 6 in(NN119)View more details -
Nabil NahasUntitled, 2023Acrylic and pumice on canvas45.7 x 45.7 x 15.2 cm(NN120)View more details
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Nabil NahasUntitled, 2023Acrylic and pumice on canvas48.3 x 40.64 x 15.2 cm
19 x 16 x 6 in(NN121)View more details -
Nabil NahasUntitled, 2023Acrylic and pumice on canvas45.7 x 38.1 x 15.2 cm
18 x 15 x 6 in(NN122)View more details
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Words on Works: Nabil Nahas – On the Fractal seriesVideo courtesy of the Saradar Collection.
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Nabil Nahas in his studio in Beirut. Courtesy of Luncheon Magazine. Photo: Joyce NG.
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Trees
Within this series, Nahas portrays the trees in a way that magnifies their presence. His cedars loom large in the viewer's gaze, their towering forms dominating the scene. Meanwhile, when it comes to his olive trees and palms, his focus narrows to the rugged and irregular textures of their trunks. The artist employs a spectrum of emotions by alternating between vivid and sombre hues throughout different stages of this series. Gold paint adds a reflective quality to his canvas, symbolising the brightness of happy memories. In contrast, the use of black involves bold, gestural strokes that convey a sense of weight or depth, symbolising the gravity of dark memories. -
The artist’s skill in combining colours and shapes evokes strong feelings related to the 4 August 2020 Beirut explosion. Four of his eight largest pieces explore visceral emotions including grief, shock, resilience, hope, and even anger connected to this tragic event and can be a healing and cathartic process for the artist.
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“[...] one of the striking aspects of Nahas’ career is his refusal to be tethered to a singular artistic style. Unlike many of his contemporaries who are known for a distinct signature style, Nahas has consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft, juggling between languages he has made his own [...] His body of work is fluctuating, with different facets that seamlessly interconnect and communicate with each other in a quasi-mystical manner.”
—Gilles Khoury, Excerpt from his essay written for Nabil Nahas: Tethys.
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In April 2023 Nabil Nahas presented his first solo exhibition in France titled 'Grounded in the Sky,' produced by the CMS Collection, proposing two recent series of works and a monumental outdoor sculpture – his largest to date. The artworks were shown at Château La Coste in Provence, spread across two gallery spaces within the estate: the Renzo Piano Pavilion and the Old Wine Storehouse, beautifully rehabilitated by Jean-Michel Wilmotte.
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