Ammar FARHAT (Béja 1911 - Tunis 1987)

The water seller Oil on canvas 21x5x18 cm Signed lower right in Arabic Self-taught painter, Ammar Farhat has forged a place for himself in the Tunisian artistic landscape. It is in 1935 that he expresses his will to paint. In 1938, during his first collective exhibition at the Salon of Tunis, he received the 1st prize for his works as well as a trip to Paris, epicenter of the avant-garde between the two wars. Eager for discovery and inspiration, he travels the world, from Rome to Sweden via Russia. In 1949, he founded the School of Tunis alongside other great names of Tunisian painting such as Abdelaziz Gorgi or Pierre Boucherle. The works of Ammar Farhat are rare on the market. "The year 1935 was a point of light for me. I swore to become a painter, not more. I was perplexed, I felt in me strange things that I could not express. I was anxious, disturbed, shocked, I wanted to breathe... Finally, I bought a case of colors that I always carry with me. I promised myself to live up to this profession, respecting art all my life." Ammar Farhat to his friend the writer Ezzeddine Madani. French private collection Gros & Delettrez, June 25, 2018, lot 235b