KAPH Books has releases Alcove: Intimate Essays on Arab Modernist Artists written by UAE-based Lebanese cultural strategist and art advisor Myrna Ayad.

Named after the word “Al Qubba”, Arabic for vault or chamber, Alcove gathers articles narrated by the relatives, friends, and students of modernists from the Arab world, celebrating the lives and careers of pioneering artists from our region. 
With a forword by Dr Nada Shabout, Alcove spans a pivotal time in Arab art, all the way from the 1950s through to the 1980s.. 

Left, Jumana El Husseini, From the “Un Songe” [A Dream] Series, Oil on canvas, 110 x 94 cm / Right, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Self Portrait, 1943. Saloua Raouda Choucair Foundation

The birth of this book has been generously supported by lead patrons the Barjeel Art Foundation and Christie’s as well as individual patrons including Abdelmonem Alserkal, Bassima Ghawi, Olivier de Mestelan, Hana and Khaled Habbal or Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, and more, that remained anonymous. 
Some of the modernists include Shafic Abboud (Lebanon), Hamed Abdalla (Egypt), Etel Adnan (Lebanon), Layla Al Attar (Iraq), Nahil Bishara (Palestine), or Hedi Turki (Tunisia), and many more. 


The 336-pages book retails for 45$ and is available in most major bookstore worldwide, and online.

ON MYRNA AYAD

Myrna Ayad is a Lebanese, UAE-based independent cultural strategist who has authored, edited and contributed to several books, magazines and dailies on visual art and culture from the Arab world and Iran. She is a frequent panellist, jurist, and moderator with an expertise than spans across several industries including the luxury sector, government entities, private companies, and non-profit organisations. Ayad is a graduate of the American University in Dubai and lives in Dubai with her husband and two children.

You can now buy the book online, here