Elie Kanaan (Lebanese, 1926-2009)

Kanaan's palette is a temple of sensibility and his paintings are always a graceful composition of open horizons and organised chaos, leaving his pieces consistently recognisable, yet never repetitive. He is mainly known for his strong expressive compositions and proficient use of free colours. This piece is a prime example of how he unleashes his imagination in a beautiful intertwinement of colour and form that conveys a unique sense of their command.

Elie Kanaan gives the viewer two significant realities; the physical reality of the painting and the implied reality of the image, which synchronize intricately in an impeccable marriage of unexpected tones. The particularity and meticulousness of his brushstrokes has earned him an international recognition and placed his works amongst some of the most important collections in the world. Standing amongst the gems of the region, he is today unquestionably one of the most important figures in Modern Lebanese art. Elie Kanaan adopts a different approach to his method of abstraction. The decorative nature of his works is heightened through the use of expressionist style brush strokes and unique combinations of colour. Blurring the lines between reality and imagination, Kanaan's beautifully formulated canvases harmonise colour and subject matter to form nostalgic memories of a happier time in Lebanon prior to the Civil War.

Born in Beirut in 1926, Elie Kanaan started developing his distinctive style of painting in his early twenties, having studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. After spending a couple of years of soul-searching in Italy, he returned to his native Lebanon where he began to exhibit in the early fifties. His peculiar style and growing success led to both national and international recognition.