Lot 20 – Rabab Nemr, Untitled

LOT 20RABAB NEMR (EGYPTIAN 1939-2025)UNTITLEDsigned and dated in Arabic Rabab Nemr 87 lower left; inscribed in Arabic on the reverse
oil on panel
79.9 x 79.9; 31 1/2 x 31 1/2in
96.5 x 96.5cm; 38 x 38in (framed)

Property of a Private Collector, Germany

Provenance
Sale, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 2024

Estimate
£26,000 – £30,000
Buyer’s premium: 25.00% + VAT

Rabab Nemr is a distinguished figure in contemporary Egyptian art, recognised for a practice that synthesises traditional folk motifs with rigorous formal technique. Born in Alexandria, Nemr received her foundational training at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria before relocating to Spain to earn a doctorate from the San Fernando Academy in Madrid. This academic trajectory provided her with a sophisticated technical range, enabling her to bridge the aesthetic sensibilities of the Mediterranean with the broader traditions of European modernism.

Nemr has a distinctive practice. Her body of work is primarily characterised by a meticulous approach to line and volume, and she is perhaps best known for her bold geometric figurative compositions, featuring elements of her native Alexandria. Utilising pen, ink, and oil, Nemr employs intricate hatching and pointillist techniques to construct monumental figures that frequently reference Pharaonic proportions. Her subject matter consistently focuses on the Egyptian working class, specifically the fishing communities of the coast, integrating symbolic elements such as the fish, the boat, and the sun. These motifs serve as structural and thematic anchors, elevating scenes of daily labour into formal studies of equilibrium and cultural continuity.

Over a career exceeding sixty years, Nemr’s contributions have been recognised through significant accolades, including the Egyptian State Incentive Prize. Her work has been exhibited extensively in international biennials and is held in permanent collections such as the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art in Cairo and the World Bank in Washington, DC. Through her disciplined exploration of form and her commitment to regional iconography, Nemr remains a central figure in the evolution of Egyptian visual arts.