01 Work, The Art of War, Abed Abdi's Expulsion from the Homeland, with footnotes

Abed Abdi

Expulsion from the Homeland, c. 1967

Oil on canvas

56 by 76cm.; 22 by 29 3/4 in

Private collection

Sold for 10,625 GBP in April 2019

The Nakba (Arabic for ‘catastrophe’) in 1948 was a defining moment in Palestinian history that affected the life, culture and identity of the Palestinian people in immeasurable ways, and concurrently, the evolution of Palestinian art. Palestinian art was still in its early stages of development in the mid-1900s as pioneer artists started to move away from the long-standing tradition of Christian icon painting to explore secular genres through new techniques and forms of image-making. Shortly thereafter, such novel changes in the aesthetics of Palestinian art were obstructed by the 1948 War. The destruction and wounds were deep, with Palestinian painting only remerging over a decade later, yet in a different and political form with mere threads of continuity from the past. More on this painting

Abed Abdi (born February 1942 in Haifa) is a Palestinian painter, graphic designer, sculptor and art lecturer.

Abdi worked as a blacksmith and illustrated Arabic publications that appeared in Israel. After studying in Dresden, Abdi became the first Palestinian to build monumental art on native soil. His allegorical monuments in Galilee, honoring human fortitude and resistance, include a narrative mural depicting Elijah's defiance and survival and a bronze Land Day memorial.

Abdi held his first exhibition in Tel Aviv in 1962. He then pursued academic studies at the Fine Arts Academy in Dresden (Germany). His masterwork at the academy received the 2nd prize, which allowed Abdi to spend another year at the academy and specialize in murals and environmental sculpture. In 1972 he returned to Haifa, and worked as graphic designer for a number of Arabic language publications, taught arts and designed murals. The city of Haifa awarded Abdi the "Hermann Struck Best Artist of the Year" Prize in 1973. That year, he also obtained the Young Artist's award at the Berlin International Youth Festival. The city of Haifa awarded him the "Best Artist of the Year Hermann Struck" award for the second time in 1999.

Abdi is an active member of the Haifa branch of the Israeli Association of Painters and Sculptures, as well as the Jewish-Arab Center of Beit Hagefen. This has enabled him to unite Palestinian and Israeli artists, and organize joint exhibitions. Abdi founded the Ibda' society for the promotion of visual arts in the Arab Israeli sector and Ara belle - Visual Arts Workshop in Haifa, for the promotion of the visual arts and intercultural dialogue through the arts. Abdi is president of Al Midan Theater in Haifa. He has been teaching fine arts in the Arab Pedagogical College in Haifa since 1985. More on Abed Abdi

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