LONDON.- Christie’s fine art and luxury auction house announces its third annual Arab Art Exhibition at Christie’s global headquarters in London from 16 July – 22 August 2025. Marwan: A Soul in Exile will celebrate one of the most critically acclaimed and influential artists whose work and mentorship have profoundly shaped the contemporary art scene. Marwan Kassab Bachi – known as Marwan – is renowned for his explorations of figuration, particularly his facial landscapes, which go beyond traditional portraiture and act as metaphysical gateways to the universal facets of the human condition. Christie’s will exhibit over 150 works on loan, spanning paintings, drawings, works on paper, and editions, from leading museums, institutions, and prestigious private collections in Europe and the Middle East, presenting a comprehensive survey of the artist’s six-decade career.


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Curated by Dr Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Christie’s Middle East & Africa, Marwan: A Soul in Exile is a non-selling exhibition, tracing Marwan’s extraordinary path, from his early figurations of the 1960’s to the haunting marionette series and his iconic facial landscapes, where the human face becomes both mirror and terrain. The retrospective will bring together works covering Marwan’s artistic practice from the beginning of his artistic practice in Syria, together with works that chart his life in Germany.

Born in Syria, Marwan (1934–2016) moved to Germany in the late 1950’s, first to Berlin and later to Dresden. Combining two distinctly different worlds, Marwan was influenced by German expressionism and the Neue Wilde artists, whilst at the same time retaining his Syrian identity by responding to Arab political struggles and human rights issues.

Rigorous in his technique, Marwan became known for his portraits, faces and heads, which morph into undulating landscapes – a theme that continued throughout his career ­– achieved by layering coats of paint, evoking the subtleties of skin, using only four or five hues. Repetitively exploring the head as a topography, he felt that he was “excavating” these sites and expressed on many occasions that he “painted souls.” Part of the Syrian National movement and pan-Arab imagery, Marwan’s work is linked to the larger conversation between land and identity that has historically been associated with Sufi poetry.

Dr Ridha Moumni, Chairman, Christie’s Middle East and Africa, comments, ‘It is an honour to host the third Arab Art Exhibition at Christie’s London this summer, dedicated to the singular vision of Marwan Kassab-Bachi. Marwan was a profoundly original artist whose deeply moving and distinctive work, shaped by his Syrian heritage and artistic journey in Germany, redefined the portrait as a space for psychological exploration and aesthetic experimentation. Widely regarded as one of the most important Arab artists, Marwan reinvented portraiture through a meditative, introspective practice, and established himself as one of the leading artists of the contemporary German art scene. We are privileged to present this retrospective in London, bringing together exceptional loans from major public and private collections across Europe and the Middle East, and making these masterpieces accessible to those in London throughout the summer.’

Set to be the most comprehensive retrospective to date and a defining moment in recognition of the legacy of Marwan, this third iteration of Christie’s Arab Art Exhibition at King Street during July and August continues to recognise and celebrate art of the Middle East by showcasing the distinctive artistic vision of Arab artists to an international audience in London.

Marwan’s work can be found in public collections worldwide, including the Bar­jeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut; Berlinische Galerie, Berlin; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main; Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi; Darat al Funun, Amman; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin; National Museum Damascus, Damascus; Tate Modern, London; British Museum, London; Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah; Museum of Con­temporary Art, Chicago; The Museum of Modern Art, New York City; Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha.

Marwan: A Soul in Exile forms part of our programme of auctions, exhibitions, and activities for the ‘London Summer Season’ in celebration of the dynamism and creativity London inspires.

Marwan: A Soul in Exile opens on 16 July - 22 August. Entry to the exhibition is free to all.


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