Wahbi al-Hariri

Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai (1914 – 16 August 1994) was a Syrian American artist who has often been called "the last of the classicists". As an artist he was remarkably prolific in the last years of his life despite a protracted and painful struggle with terminal cancer. He was also an accomplished architect, archaeologist, and author. His artwork has garnered international recognition and praise both in his lifetime and posthumously.
He has also been recognized as a significant Middle Eastern cultural pioneer for his role in the "establishment of the foundations of the Plastic arts movement" in the Levant and for mentoring many important Arab artists.
Early life
Family
Wahbi al-Hariri was born in 1914 in Aleppo, Syria. His documented family tree spans over fourteen centuries and lists several notable ancestors including Al-Hariri of Basra, the 11th-century poet, philosopher, and linguist known for authoring the Maqamat al-Hariri; Ali al-Hariri-Rifa'i, the 13th-century Sufi theologian known for founding the Syrian Rifai order; Mustapha al-Hariri-Rifai, the 18th-century composer and theologian; and Abdelrahman al-Hariri-Rifai the 19th-century calligrapher and astronomer.
Formative years in Rome
Wahbi al-Hariri began drawing and sculpting as a child and had "inherent artistic talent and a consuming interest in the world around him". Recognizing his talent, his father supported his artistic development and encouraged him to travel to Italy in 1932 to formally study art.
Al-Hariri was among the first contemporary students from the Middle East to train at the Reale Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, one of the oldest and most important academies of fine arts in Italy.
In Rome, al-Hariri trained under Carlo Siviero, a prominent Academic artist. Carlo, who was president of the Accademia di San Luca and a member of the Consiglio Superiore di Belle Arti, became al-Hariri's mentor and a lifelong friend; they would remain in touch until Carlo's death in 1953.
Al-Hariri also simultaneously studied archaeology and preservation at the Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte and from 1937 to 1939 participated in archaeological research and study in Greece. The Alta Cultura course that he attended on the island of Rhodes is that of Luigi Pernier fame.
According to notable art critic and author Helen Khal, the years that al-Hariri spent in Italy training were:
Career
Early art and archaeology in Syria
After returning to Syria in 1937 he taught art at the al-Mamoun (Tajhis al Oula) in Aleppo and also maintained a vibrant studio which also grew to be an intellectual hub. He taught periodic academy-style classes at his atelier, and organized and held gallery exhibitions with other Aleppine artists. There, he also hosted salons that attracted many contemporary philosophers and political thinkers. His work from that period included sculpture, oil painting, and photography.
As an art professor, he mentored future artists such as Fathi Kabbawah, Fateh Moudarres, Louay Kayyali, Ghaleb Salem, and Taleb Yazji; al-Hariri and his protégés are considered pioneers of the Nahda, the Levant's contemporary cultural and arts renaissance. According to Fateh Moudarres, whose surrealist work has earned international recognition, Al-Hariri was an influential mentor who nurtured Moudarres's formal technique and artistic style as well as enriched Moudarre's worldview:
In addition to teaching and practicing art in Aleppo, al-Hariri also became actively engaged in archeology and was "appointed Inspector General of Historic Monuments and Sites." One of his early victories, as chronicled by French archaeologist and assyriologist Raymond-Jacques Tournay, O.P., was the retrieval of the stele of Tukulti-Ninurta II.
According to Amer Moubayyed, an Aleppo historian, Wahbi al-Hariri:
Wahbi al-Hariri was an outspoken critic of the French occupation of Syria and "would often demonstrate against the French such that in March 1941 he was arrested by the French colonial forces and detained for forty days." Undeterred, he maintained his objections and, in retaliation, French colonial forces set fire to his studio destroying much of his paintings and sculptures before a scheduled exhibition of his work.
Paris and the Beaux-Arts
In 1948, two years after Syria's independence from France, "his talent won him a scholarship to study architecture at Yale University, but his artistic drive took him to Paris" instead to study art and architecture at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, as well as conservation and historic preservation at the École du Louvre.
At the Beaux-Arts he was taught by Prix de Rome laureates Emmanuel Pontremoli and André Leconte with whom he would remain friends.
In 1954 Wahbi al-Hariri received his architectural DPLG with honors and was awarded the highly coveted Prix du Meilleur Diplôme by the Société des Architectes Diplômés par le Gouvernement. The award, presented with a medal struck in bronze—which was designed for the société in by Louis Bottée—was bestowed annually upon the preeminent graduating student of architecture.
Return to Syria
Shortly after graduating from the Beaux-Arts he won the 1954 international competition for the design of the national broadcast headquarters in Damascus. Later that year he was named architecte en chef, chief architect, of the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums in Damascus. During this time, in addition to his art atelier, he maintained a successful architectural practice and organized archaeological and historic preservation initiatives.
His architectural work in the 1950s is recognized as influential in contemporary Levant architecture. Alexander Prokhorov cites that "architects such as Wahbi Al-Hariri sought solutions that would reconcile modern industrial designs with national forms."
He designed several large projects in the 1950s. In 1956 he won the design of the Adnan al-Malki memorial in the heart of Damascus. By 1959 his reputation had grown such that he was invited by the Association of German Architects and Engineers to lecture on contemporary Syrian art and architecture at the universities of Bonn, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin, and Frankfurt.
His watercolors and drawings from this period document his numerous trips around the country and "reflect his vision of a region on the verge of dramatic change."
In al-Hariri won an important commission to renovate the historic Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque, in Homs, and design its surrounding plaza. The 1960s in Syria, however, were marked by national unease and political instability and in a military coup caused the cancellation of a large exhibition of his artwork.
As frustrations with the political climate in Syria grew, King Faisal extended al-Hariri an invitation to Saudi Arabia in . The following year al-Hariri moved to the Kingdom and was appointed chief architect of the Ministry for Public Works.
Exploring Arabia
Al-Hariri's first major commission in Saudi Arabia was the design of an extensive master-plan for the new campus of the university in Medina which was executed under his supervision. His design made allowance for future growth and has informed the university's expansions over the years.
In his capacity as chief architect, al-Hariri designed and led projects all over the Kingdom. As he traveled throughout the country, al-Hariri grew increasingly interested in the history and culture of Arabia.
In the late 1960s the many facets of the Arabian Peninsula's heritage were unknown and, as is possible with fast-paced development, were in danger. Al-Hariri resolved to preserve and document the kingdom's traditional architectural and artistic heritage and in the 1970s he embarked on explorations throughout the region to "document the diversity of architectural styles, building materials and geographic regions that exist in Saudi Arabia."
After years of travel and research, "Al-Hariri produced a collection of superb drawings that has been hailed as one of the finest records of Saudi Arabia's architectural past", wrote Helen Khal; his "drawings are more than illustrations of old buildings and historical monuments. They reveal a devotional bond between artist and subject in a creative process." The drawings were the product of "intensive travel throughout the kingdom to draw on location. For months at a time, he would travel to remote towns and villages, carrying with him only his art supplies."
In , with the completion of his important collection of drawings, a full-size facsimile edition of this collection, titled Traditional Architecture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was published in Florence, Italy, by Fratelli Alinari Istituto di Edizioni Artistiche with the assistance of al-Hariri's son, Mokhless, a Washington, D.C. architect and also a graduate of the Beaux-Arts.
In the massive book was first presented to King Khalid of Saudi Arabia.
Copies of the book can also be found in the collections of The Library of Congress, the Royal Library at Buckingham Palace, the library of Emperor Akihito of Japan, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, as well as several other libraries worldwide.
The publication of this hand-printed art collector's folio brought about worldwide recognition of his artistic work. Select drawings were exhibited at several American venues, including the 1982 World's Fair and the Southern Arts Federation. The exhibition tour culminated with a 1984 solo exhibition of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. With it, he became the first living artist to be honored with a solo show at the Smithsonian.
The exhibition was curated by Esin Atıl, PhD, then curator of Islamic arts at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art.
The complete collection of drawings, which never before had all been publicly shown, were exhibited from 10 October to 7 November 1984 at the Smithsonian castle.
Esin Atıl explains that "inasmuch as some of the buildings depicted are no longer standing" the significance of the drawings is that they "provide a permanent record of the buildings' existence" and as such they "preserve a historical record of the architecture of Saudi Arabia."
Washington Post critic Benjamin Forgey, whose full-length feature of al-Hariri's exhibit ran on 22 October 1984, writes that:
This period in Saudi Arabia was integral and "he developed his unique style and excelled in the use of graphite."
Atil explains that "By mastering this monochromatic medium, he absolved himself from conforming to coloristic expressions." she also remarks that "graphite was at once strong enough to reflect his artistic passion, yet gentle and lyrical enough to express his emotions and spirit."
Books on Saudi Arabia
During his time in Saudi Arabia al-Hariri also published two other books that documented Saudi Arabia's culture and heritage, Asir: Heritage and Civilization, published in , and The Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, published in . Both featured "extensive" color photography and were co-authored with al-Hariri's son, Mokhless.
Many sites documented by the books have been subject to changes from development, vandalism, or other external influences and as such the book has been used as a primary source for studies of ancient Arabian history.
The Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the product of "15 years of travel ... as well as the product of an endless cycle of research, review, and evaluation."
The book was featured in reviews by national newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Washington Times review of the book describes that
In , in addition to other international citations and honors, France further recognized his artistic achievements by awarding him the highly regarded distinction of chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Last years
Final work, from Spain to China
With the "active participation of his wife, Widad Marachi and the earnest encouragement H.R.H. Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, then governor of Riyadh, and numerous dignitaries" he was inspired to travel "from Washington, D.C. to Riyadh, and from Spain to China" to identify and document the most significant historic mosques of the world.
The finished collection, completed with the help of al-Hariri's son, was ultimately assembled posthumously in 1994 and was named The Spiritual Edifices of Islam as per the artist's wishes.
Death and legacy
After a long struggle with cancer, Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai, "known as the last of the classicists, died ... at the age of 80" on 16 August 1994, in Aleppo, the birthplace he had not visited for over twenty years. Dr. Esin Atil notes that until the end he overtly maintained an optimistic view of his condition and remained driven and "inspired by an unyielding thirst for knowledge and constant search for beauty."
A couple of streets in Aleppo were named in his honor after his death. The Swedish consulate in Aleppo is located on one of these streets, Mohamed Wahbi al-Hariri Street, in the Sebil Area.
After his death, a large number of his early oil paintings, watercolors, and photographs—some dating back to 1933—were found, having been apparently saved from the initial studio fire that destroyed much of his other works of that period. After undergoing extensive restoration several pieces were included in a retrospective collection and were shown to the public as part of a travelling exhibition of al-Hariri's art.
According to Dr. Atil, Wahbi al-Hariri is referred to as "the last of the classicists because his work transcends time, period, and region." She explains
that:
The majority of his work is held by the family. His works can also be found in several private or national collections and are rarely exchanged or offered on the public market.
Contemporary exhibitions
The Spiritual Edifices of Islam (traveling exhibit)
Also known in Arabic as Buyut Allah , the Spiritual Edifices of Islam traveling exhibit made its 1999 debut at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. before an international tour that took the exhibit to many other significant world venues.
"My last meeting with him was one month before his death" writer Lisa Kaaki recalled in an article she wrote for Arab News in 2002; she wrote that she "remembered the unique journey which took him from Spain to China, looking for the most significant mosques in the world." She expressed that she "was both relieved and deeply moved when [she] earned that the drawings of the mosques were part of an exhibition at the National Museum in Riyadh."
The international tour of al-Hariri's artwork featured two exhibition collections, The Spiritual Edifices of Islam historic mosques collection, and the Wahbi al-Hariri Artist Retrospective collection of 30 original oil, watercolor, and graphite pieces that form a broad retrospective of the artist's work. The retrospective collection spans a sixty-year period (1930s–1990s) and includes a special selection of works that al-Hariri completed in Canada, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Exhibit tour highlights
The Spiritual Edifices of Islam traveling exhibit toured many significant international museums:
At the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur the exhibition was extended from one to four months in response to public interest.
From Washington To Riyadh (exhibition)
In May 2012, the National Museum of Saudi Arabia hosted an exhibition titled From Washington to Riyadh: A Collection of Artwork by Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai. The exhibition featured "fifty graphite, watercolor, and pastel drawings depicting the architectural heritage of Saudi Arabia and historic monuments of Washington, D.C."
Many luminaries and high-profile guests attended the exhibition opening. Among those present, Dr. Janet Breslin-Smith, wife of United States ambassador James B. Smith, "expressed her pleasure to participate in the celebration of the works of Arab-American Artist Wahbi Al-Hariri"; she also noted that it was "the first time that the exhibition is held outside the United States of America since its inception in 1984 at Smithsonian Institution in Washington."<ref name="Wash_to_Riyadh_SPA_Press_Womens">{{cite news|title=Opening of "Washington to Riyadh" Exhibit|url=http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=1000050&content_id=&scroll=1|access-date=19 June 2013|date=20 May 2012|agency=Saudi Press Agency|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6HVHdokCG?url=http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/readsinglenews.php?id=1000050&content_id=&scroll=1|archive-date=19 June 2013|quote=Princess Adelah bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, President of Advisory Board of National Museum opened at National Museum in Riyadh Saturday evening, the Exhibition 'From Washington to Riyadh for the late Artist Wahbi Al-Hariri Al-Rifai, organized by the Advisory Board in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Embassy of the United States of America, in the presence of the Wife of U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom Janet Breslin Smith and Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy Katherine Schweitzer. Addressing the ceremony, the Princess said that the Exhibition embodies the cultural dimensions existing for years between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. 'It is an opportunity for the renewal of cultural communication and the introduction of creative artists of Arab descent who live in the United States of America like Artist Wahbi Al-Hariri, who became famous as the last classical artist,' she added. ... the Wife of U.S. Ambassador expressed her pleasure to participate in the celebration of the works of Arab-American Artist Wahbi Al-Hariri, noting that this is the first time that the Exhibition is held outside the United States of America since its inception in 1984 at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, which is the largest museum research complex in the world. At the end of the ceremony, Princess Adelah and the Ambassador's Wife Janet opened the Exhibition which contains over 50 paintings.|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Princess Adelah bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was active in the exhibition's planning in her capacity as president of the museum's Consultative Committee of the National Museum was also present to officiate the opening. In her remarks she said that "The purpose of having this exhibition at the National Museum is to focus on [Al-Hariri's] artwork which reflects the deep-rooted culture of the Kingdom". "Art also represents the bridge of knowledge that links past and present", she explains, in her preface to the exhibition book, and that al-Hariri, whom she considers "an illustrious name in history's memory", was an artist "who closely observed the world around him and recorded it through his passion for art." According to the princess the exhibition From Washington to Riyadh'' is "a tribute to the prolific artistic journey of Wahbi Al-Hariri. It recognizes him as one of the great masters who left us exceptional legacies and whose art attests to their creativity and ability to express with sensitivity the beauty that surrounded him."
Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja, the Minister of Culture and Information of Saudi Arabia, writes, in his prefatory note, that:
The exhibition was sponsored in part by the United States Department of State through the Embassy of the United States in Riyadh and was considered by Ambassador Smith to have been a significant cultural exchange initiative.
Bibliography
Books
Traditional Architecture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Asir: Heritage and Civilization
The Heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Exhibition catalogues
Traditional Architecture of Saudi Arabia: Drawings by Wahbi al-Hariri-Rifai
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Spiritual Edifices of Islam
The Spiritual Edifices of Islam: Wahbi Hariri-Rifai
National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
Mahligai Rohani Islam: Klasikisme yang terakhir
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
From Washington to Riyadh
National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
References
External links
Syrian archaeologists
Syrian architects
20th-century American architects
20th-century Syrian people
Syrian scholars
Syrian academics
American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
People from Aleppo
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1914 births
1994 deaths
Syrian emigrants to the United States
Syrian artists
20th-century American archaeologists