Hussein Madi (Lebanese, b. 1932)

Hussein Madi's work is characterized by an extremely personal fusion of European and Islamic influences. Drawing inspiration from Western artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, Madi combines this with the principles of divine harmony that inform the abstract designs of Islamic art. Whether in two or three dimensions, the seeming spontaneity of Madi's lines belies the exacting, calculations that underline each work, a combination of meticulousness and sensuality, combined with his deep belief in God's universal order, in which everything, while being different, is composed of the same fundamental elements.