29th Oct, 2025 12:00
Modern & Contemporary African & Middle Eastern Art
64
SABHAN ADAM (SYRIAN B.1972)
UNTITLED
signed and dated SABHAN ADAM 2008 on the reverse
mixed media on canvas
218.5 x 74.2cm; 86 x 74 1/4in
unframed
Property of a Private Collector, London
Provenance
Z Gallery Dubai, 2010
Acquired from the above by the present owner
"The figures I paint have so many things in common with me... I draw myself with everything that exists inside: the sadness, the misery, the shocking things I have faced, the isolation, and the feeling of not belonging to this world."
Syrian-born Sabhan Adam is a self-taught artist who creates works in relative isolation from the art world. A prolific painter, Adam has exhibited at institutions such as the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and the Venice Biennale. His work has been acquired by the British Museum, Jalanbo Collection, Barjeel Art Foundation, the Hassan Smith Collection and many other private collections.
His Orwellian figures challenge notions of beauty and the heinous, exploring motifs of imaginary misshapen creatures often clothed in glamourous, highly coloured attire against plain backgrounds. Demonstrating the pain, fear and phobia which afflicts society, these distorted and monstrous figures equally hold a complex set of personal emotions based on Adam’s own psychology.
Sold for £1,000
UNTITLED
signed and dated SABHAN ADAM 2008 on the reverse
mixed media on canvas
218.5 x 74.2cm; 86 x 74 1/4in
unframed
Property of a Private Collector, London
Provenance
Z Gallery Dubai, 2010
Acquired from the above by the present owner
"The figures I paint have so many things in common with me... I draw myself with everything that exists inside: the sadness, the misery, the shocking things I have faced, the isolation, and the feeling of not belonging to this world."
Syrian-born Sabhan Adam is a self-taught artist who creates works in relative isolation from the art world. A prolific painter, Adam has exhibited at institutions such as the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and the Venice Biennale. His work has been acquired by the British Museum, Jalanbo Collection, Barjeel Art Foundation, the Hassan Smith Collection and many other private collections.
His Orwellian figures challenge notions of beauty and the heinous, exploring motifs of imaginary misshapen creatures often clothed in glamourous, highly coloured attire against plain backgrounds. Demonstrating the pain, fear and phobia which afflicts society, these distorted and monstrous figures equally hold a complex set of personal emotions based on Adam’s own psychology.
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
