Biography

Born in Aleppo, Fateh Moudarres (1922–1999) studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome and later completed his postgraduate studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris until 1972. During his time in Europe, he began incorporating abstraction into his paintings, skillfully blending Syrian artistic traditions with Western techniques while developing increasingly political themes. Upon returning to Syria, he became a lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University until 1993, where he became a highly influential professor for generations of artists. Moudarres was also renowned for his philosophical ideas and critical art essays, which were published alongside his artwork in regional magazines.

His work reflected the changing social and political climate of his time. Moudarres addressed pressing issues such as the Syrian agricultural crisis and the Lebanese civil war, portraying the suffering and struggles of the people. His distinctive style featured sober figures with solid, square-shaped heads—a characteristic that drew inspiration from Assyrian statuary, Palmyrene figures, and Christian iconography. His paintings typically featured warm, earthy colors applied with thick, textural brushstrokes, sometimes incorporating sand into the paint.

Moudarres remained active as a painter until his death. His work was featured in prestigious international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, São Paulo Biennale, New York International Art Fair, Contemporary Arab Art Exhibition in Paris, and the Seoul and Cairo Biennials. His works have been acquired by numerous institutions, including the British Museum; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; National Museum in Damascus; Syrian Ministry of Culture; Dummar Museum; the Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut; the Jalanbo Collection; and Ibrahimi Collection, Jordan. In 1995, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris held a retrospective of his career.