Sloane Street Auctions to sell
Dozens of works by leading artists from Egypt and the Middle East, gathered together by Dr Mohammed Said Farsi, for sale on June 12
Dr Mohammed Saïd Farsi’s remarkable art collection has supplied landmark auctions with millions of pounds worth of Middle Eastern and Western art over the past two decades.
Credited with having the greatest group of modern Egyptian art in private hands, his collection now promises to dominate Sloane Street Auctions’ June 12 sale in London, with exceptional pieces including 48 lots from two of the Middle East’s leading artists, the Egyptians Adham Wanly (1908-59) and Seif Wanly (1906-79).
It also features works by fellow Egyptians Mahmoud Saïd (1897-1964), Abdel al-Hadi El-Gazzar (1925-66) and Mohamed Nagy (1888-1956). And from the West highlights by Henry Moore, Salvador Dalí and David Hockney add to the mix.
The former Mayor of Jeddah (1972-86) – he is known as the father of Saudi Arabia’s modern port city – Dr Farsi also led the planning for redeveloping Mecca and Medina. That extended vision placed art at the centre of the urban environment as he embarked on replicating the glories of Beirut’s corniche in Jeddah.
In doing so, he looked to artists such as Lebanon’s Aref El Rayess and Shafiq Mazloum, Egypt’s Mustafa Senbel and several Saudi artists, including Maha Malluh.
He was soon on the road to becoming a major influence in global art as he did so, extending his interest to outstanding Western figures such as Henry Moore, Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Jean Arp and Victor Vasarely.
If his personal collection is impressive, his artistic impact on Jeddah was supreme, as he installed more than 400 sculptures across the city. It culminated in a book by his own son, Jeddah, City of Art.
The range of Dr Farsi’s personal collection is immense, from early Islamic glass and carpets to Contemporary Street Art, as the 245 lots on offer at Sloane Street Auctions attest.
From bibelots, Fabergé Imperial Russian gewgaws and silver through extensive holdings of drawings, sketches, oils, and watercolours to antiquities and modern bronze sculpture, this formidable gathering has the air of a never-ending exploration of talent and creativity rather than simply an exercise in acquisition.
It also includes curiosities: one is a pair of leg irons that belonged to the great escapologist Harry Houdini.
Such is the collection’s importance that it was the first of its type to be fully documented thanks to the 1998 publication of A Museum in a Book: The Farsi Art Collection – the “Egyptian Works.
Highlights from Middle Eastern artists begin with a highly atmospheric landscape by Mahmoud Saïd (1897-1964), showing a path disappearing into the woods. It should sell for £8,000-10,000, while Abdel al-Hadi El-Gazzar’s enigmatic Portrait of an Italian Physician, a signed 25¼ x 21in oil on board, is expected to fetch £10,000-15,000. Mohamed Nagy’s richly coloured and sumptuous, signed 18 x 26½in oil on canvas, A Rural Landscape in France also has a guide of £8,000-12,000.
Of the numerous works by Adham Wanly and Seif Wanly, stand-out lots include signed two drawings of ballet dancers in mixed media on paper by the former and Dark Self, a brooding 16 x 13¼in oil on artist board from 1970 expected to sell for £6,000-8,000.
Leading the way among the Western lots is is a Standing Figure in bronze by Henry Moore (1898-1986). At just 6¼in (16cm) high, it has a commanding presence and an estimate of £15,000-25,000.
David Hockney’s (b.1937) lithograph in colours from his celebrated swimming pool sequence is signed and dated 163/1000 and is pitched at £10,000-20,000.
Pick of the decorative objects is an impressive silver and gilt appliqué Ka’ba panel measuring 54 x 79in and estimated at £8,000-12,000.
A Seljuk engraved coffer measuring 4½ x 7 x 4½in is pitched at £6,000-8,000.
Among the luxury items, an 8½in high Imperial Russian desk clock dating to 1892 by Fabergé and signed to the base by Carl Fabergé has hopes of £4,000-6,000.
“Dr Farsi’s collection must have the most widespread appeal for collectors with its extraordinarily eclectic offering,” said Daniel Hunt of Sloane Street Auctions. “His impeccable taste and astute eye, coupled with his standing as a leading figure in modern Arabia make this catalogue of treasures a must for serious collectors in both East and West.”
Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com
Images courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions
Italian Physician
Abdel al-Hadi El-Gazzar’s Portrait of an Italian Physician, a signed oil on board – £10,000-15,000.
Mahmoud Said
Oil on board landscape by Mahmoud Said – £8,000-10,000.
Mahomed Nagy
MahomedNagy’s signed oil on canvas, A Rural Landscape in France – £8,000-12,000.
Seif Wanly
Dark Self, a 1970 oil on artist board by Seif Wanley – £6,000-8,000.
Wanly ballet dancers
Two Drawings of Ballet Dancers by Adham Wanly. Sisgned lower right, the mixed media works are estimated at £3,000-5,000.
Ka’ba panel
Silver and gilt appliqué Ka’ba panel measuring 54 x 79in – £8,000-12,000.
Seljuk coffer
Seljuk engraved coffer – £6,000-8,000.
Moore
Standing Figure in bronze by Henry Moore (1898-1986), 6¼in (16cm) high – £15,000-25,000.
Hockney
Signed and numbered (163/1000) lithograph in colours from David Hockney’s (b.1937) swimming pool sequence – £10,000-20,000.
Fabergé desk clock
Imperial Russian desk clock dating to 1892 and standing 8½in high by Fabergé – £4,000-6,000.
Houdini leg irons
A pair of Judd leg irons worn by Harry Houdini (1874 – 1926) – £2,000-4,000.
Sloane Street Auctions
Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.
Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art – from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.
Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.
With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.
With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.
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