EL RAYESS, Aref
Aref el Rayess

The Lebanese artist Aref el Rayess (1928–2005) produced an impressive œuvre of paintings, drawings, collages, and sculptures, that remains largely unstudied. Rayess was an independent thinker, a political man and a free spirit. He studied art in Paris with Fernand Léger, among others, and resided in Lebanon, France, and Italy. With the onset of the civil war in 1975, he relocated to Saudi Arabia, where he assumed the role of art commissioner for the city of Jeddah. He lived in many places and his works reflect the spirit of those respective countries, times and art scenes. The subjects of his works range from individuals and society, abstraction and nature. His style changed constantly, but always remained unmistakable. [publisher's note]

With texts by Andrée Sfeir-Semler, Hala el Rayess, Catherine David, Joseph Tarrab, Sam Bardaouil, Till Fellrath, Nadine El-Khoury, Sabine Chaaban.

Published by Hatje Cantz, 2024
Monographs