29th Oct, 2025 12:00
Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art
35
CHANT AVEDISSIAN (EGYPTIAN 1951-2018)
UNTITLED
signed Chant lower right
oil on canvas
51 x 49.5cm; 20 x 19 1/2in
unframed
Property from a Private Collection, Hampstead
Provenance
Aquired from the artist by the present owner
Chant Avedissian was born to a family of Armenian refugees in Boulaq, a poor suburb of Cairo, Egypt. In 1967 he graduated from the Kalousdian Armenian school. After studying fine art at the School of Art and Design in Montreal and applied arts at the National Higher School of Decorative Arts in Paris during the 1970s, Avedissian returned to Egypt. His work frequently addressed questions of national identity, traditions, and culture, fusing techniques, concepts and cosmopolitan experiences acquired abroad with the heritage of his Armenian-Egyptian background to produce striking commentaries on the world around him.
Through his collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation and noted Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900-1989), Avedissian developed an interest in traditional art forms and local materials, which informed his approach to exploring his own identity.
Avedissian began working with Hassan Fathy in 1981, managing his archives, cataloguing drawings, plans, and theoretical texts, a partnership that continued until Fathy’s death. During this time, he also documented Fathy’s buildings across Egypt through photography for a book published by the Aga Khan Foundation. Fathy's perspectives on the importance of integrating genuine Egyptian art with craft revival efforts - as well as his view that combining ancient and modern art should avoid external influences - significantly influenced Avedissian’s artistic development. Many works produced by Avedissian during the 1980s reflect methods and content shaped by this association, notably he produced numerous paintings of mosques, such as the present lot, some of which are featured in publications by Hassan Fathy.
His work is in very prominent public collections such as The British Museum (UK), Mathaf Museum of Modern Art (Qatar), National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution (USA), the British Airways Collection (UK) and National Museum of Scotland, amongst others.
Sold for £4,000
UNTITLED
signed Chant lower right
oil on canvas
51 x 49.5cm; 20 x 19 1/2in
unframed
Property from a Private Collection, Hampstead
Provenance
Aquired from the artist by the present owner
Chant Avedissian was born to a family of Armenian refugees in Boulaq, a poor suburb of Cairo, Egypt. In 1967 he graduated from the Kalousdian Armenian school. After studying fine art at the School of Art and Design in Montreal and applied arts at the National Higher School of Decorative Arts in Paris during the 1970s, Avedissian returned to Egypt. His work frequently addressed questions of national identity, traditions, and culture, fusing techniques, concepts and cosmopolitan experiences acquired abroad with the heritage of his Armenian-Egyptian background to produce striking commentaries on the world around him.
Through his collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation and noted Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900-1989), Avedissian developed an interest in traditional art forms and local materials, which informed his approach to exploring his own identity.
Avedissian began working with Hassan Fathy in 1981, managing his archives, cataloguing drawings, plans, and theoretical texts, a partnership that continued until Fathy’s death. During this time, he also documented Fathy’s buildings across Egypt through photography for a book published by the Aga Khan Foundation. Fathy's perspectives on the importance of integrating genuine Egyptian art with craft revival efforts - as well as his view that combining ancient and modern art should avoid external influences - significantly influenced Avedissian’s artistic development. Many works produced by Avedissian during the 1980s reflect methods and content shaped by this association, notably he produced numerous paintings of mosques, such as the present lot, some of which are featured in publications by Hassan Fathy.
His work is in very prominent public collections such as The British Museum (UK), Mathaf Museum of Modern Art (Qatar), National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution (USA), the British Airways Collection (UK) and National Museum of Scotland, amongst others.
Auction: Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art, 29th Oct, 2025
If you want to start collecting striking modern and contemporary art in a newly developing market, our sales are for you. Each spring and autumn, the Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Department hold tightly curated, live and online auctions. Expect to find Arab artists such as Tahia Halim, Seif Wanly, Mahmoud Said and Mohanna Durra. African artists featured have ranged from modern masters such as Ablade Glover, Sam Ntiro and Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, to contemporary artists George Lilanga, Jilali Gharbaoui, Famakan Magassa, Christano Mangovo, Oluwole Omofemi, Esther Mahlangu and Brett Seiler.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION:
Sunday 26th October: 12pm to 4pm
Monday 27th October: 10am to 8pm (Drinks 5-8pm)
Tuesday 28th October: 10am to 5pm
