Ending 7th Jun, 2026 16:00
Olympia Timed: Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art 2026
353
ADHAM WANLY (EGYPTIAN 1908-1959)
THE HARLEQUIN
signed Wanly lower right
pen and ink over pencil on paper laid on card
13.5 x 11.5cm; 5 1/4 x 4 1/2in
30.5 x 27.5cm; 12 x 10 3/4in (framed)
Property from a Private Collection, Dubai
Provenance
Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo
Ubuntu Gallery, Cairo
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Cairo, Ubuntu Gallery, The Collectors Eye VII, 2020
Born into an affluent aristocratic family in Alexandria, Wanly received a private education alongside his siblings, including studying oil painting with his brother, Seif, under Italian painter Arturo Zanieri (1870-1955) (see note to lot 55). Wanly and his brother joined the studio of Italian painter Ottorino Bicchi (1878-1949) after it opened in Alexandria in 1929 to continue their painting studies. When Bicchi closed his studio in 1935, Wanly and his brother along with painter Ahmad Fahmi and filmmaker Mohammed Bayoumi opened their own studio in Alexandria. After travelling extensively throughout Europe, Wanly and his brother were appointed as professors at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1957.
Wanly's early works drew influence from his studies under Bicchi, who was close to the Italian macchiaioli artistic group, which was influenced by the French Impressionist movement and the Ecole de Barbizon. Adham was later influenced by modern pictorial trends, such as Cubism and Fauvism. He developed a passion for performing arts and theatre characters, reflected in the work shown here.
Sold for £220
THE HARLEQUIN
signed Wanly lower right
pen and ink over pencil on paper laid on card
13.5 x 11.5cm; 5 1/4 x 4 1/2in
30.5 x 27.5cm; 12 x 10 3/4in (framed)
Property from a Private Collection, Dubai
Provenance
Zamalek Art Gallery, Cairo
Ubuntu Gallery, Cairo
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Cairo, Ubuntu Gallery, The Collectors Eye VII, 2020
Born into an affluent aristocratic family in Alexandria, Wanly received a private education alongside his siblings, including studying oil painting with his brother, Seif, under Italian painter Arturo Zanieri (1870-1955) (see note to lot 55). Wanly and his brother joined the studio of Italian painter Ottorino Bicchi (1878-1949) after it opened in Alexandria in 1929 to continue their painting studies. When Bicchi closed his studio in 1935, Wanly and his brother along with painter Ahmad Fahmi and filmmaker Mohammed Bayoumi opened their own studio in Alexandria. After travelling extensively throughout Europe, Wanly and his brother were appointed as professors at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria in 1957.
Wanly's early works drew influence from his studies under Bicchi, who was close to the Italian macchiaioli artistic group, which was influenced by the French Impressionist movement and the Ecole de Barbizon. Adham was later influenced by modern pictorial trends, such as Cubism and Fauvism. He developed a passion for performing arts and theatre characters, reflected in the work shown here.
Auction: Olympia Timed: Modern and Contemporary African and Middle Eastern Art 2026, ending 7th Jun, 2026
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 Rabab Nemr, Ahmed Farid, Seif Wanly and Fateh Moudarres. 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.
