Safwan Dahoul

Biography

Born in Hama, Syria in 1961, Safwan Dahoul has recently become one of the Arab world's most prominent painters. Among the highest grossing Middle Eastern artists to date, his outstanding auction sales and blockbuster shows with Ayyam Gallery have made him widely popular with regional and international collectors alike. That he has perfected a unique approach to painting, one incorporating a variety of influences, speaks volumes about his success, as he impacts the local art scene and leads a new generation of contemporary Syrian art.

After graduating from the Faculty of Fines Arts in Damascus at the top of his class in 1983, Dahoul went on to receive a scholarship to study abroad from the Ministry of Higher Education in 1987. Choosing to travel to Belgium due to its rich artistic heritage, particularly its 16th century Flemish school of painting, he obtained a doctorate from the Higher Institute of Plastic Arts in Mons in 1997. Since then he has participated in international art fairs and solo and group exhibitions throughout the Middle East, Europe and the US.

As such, Dahoul's art is undeterred by national borders. His style of painting has been inspired by a vast range of art history, including ancient Assyrian and Pharaonic art and European masters such as Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegal the Elder. Elements of international Modernism and Post-war painting such as the Cubist inspired monumentality of Picasso and the sociopolitical foreboding of Francis Bacon can also be detected. Yet the Syrian artist's canvases demonstrate a profound originality, namely the formation of his aesthetic through the detailed exploration of a haunting female subject and the continuous awakening of the subconscious.

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Artist Press

Safwan DAHOUL "Silent Elegance", Canvas Magazine  May 2008

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"Narcissism is a must for a Successful Artist", Forward Magazine  March 2008

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Safwan DAHOUL "Master of Dreams", Syria Today  November 2007

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Safwan DAHOUL, What's On  May 2007

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Artist Exhibitions

Safwan Dahoul and Nadim Karam, at Ayyam Gallery, Beirut  9 Oct - 5 Dec, 2009
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Black vs Colour  16 Oct - 30 Nov, 2008
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Safwan Dahoul Solo Show  15 Mar - 17 Apr, 2008
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Artist Publications

Safwan Dahoul
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Safwan Dahoul
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Ayyam Editions

Safwan Dahoul
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Selected Works

Dream17 Safwan DAHOUL 'Dream 17' 180 X 180 cm. Acrylic on Canvas 2009 LOCATION: FOUR SEASONS HOTEL DAMASCUS

Dream19 Safwan DAHOUL 'Dream 19' 180 X 180 cm. Acrylic on Canvas 2009 LOCATION: BEIRUT