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73 - Omar RACIM (Algiers 1884 - 1959) Calligraphic composition Go…
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Estimate €5,000 - €8,000
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Description
Omar RACIM (Algiers 1884 - 1959) Calligraphic composition Gouache and ink on paper 17 x 24 cm Signed lower right in Arabic and signed lower left in Latin letters O.RACIM *** Gouache and ink on paper, signed lower right in Arabic and lower left (6¾ × 9½ in.) Born into a family of craftsmen and artists from the Casbah - whose name, Racim, means "painter" in Arabic - Omar Racim grew up in the family workshop where his father Ali excelled in woodcarving, miniature painting and glass illumination. Self-taught and bilingual, at the age of fourteen he joined a colonial printing works, discovered the world of the press and became involved in the nationalist movement. From 1909, he published articles denouncing social injustice; in 1913, he founded Dhou el Fikar, the first Algerian nationalist newspaper, which was immediately banned. Arrested in 1915 and imprisoned until 1921, he was sentenced to death for his political activities - a sentence that was not carried out. When he was released, he devoted himself entirely to the applied arts, travelling to Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and France, and established himself as the undisputed precursor of modern Algerian miniature painting - the first "indigenous" artist to exhibit abroad. He was awarded an honorary diploma at the Exposition Coloniale Internationale in Paris in 1931. In 1939, he founded a school of miniature, illumination and calligraphy in Algiers, which trained an entire generation, including Temmam, Ben Debbagh and Boutaleb. A professor at the Algiers School of Fine Arts from 1947, he devoted his last years to illuminating the Koran. He died in 1959, without having seen the independence of his country. The eldest brother of Mohamed Racim, he left a body of work and teaching that laid the lasting foundations for the renaissance of the miniature arts in Algeria.
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About the sale Arab, African & Indian Modernities
Auction location
Auction time 06/18/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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