Yemen

A small but distinctive scene that often goes underrepresented in regional surveys. Yemeni modernist painters drew on the country's astonishing architectural heritage — the multi-story mudbrick towers of Shibam, the stained-glass-fronted houses of Sanaa, the painted ceilings of Zabid — as well as on the rich textile and craft tradition of the southwest Arabian peninsula. Fuad Al-Futaih and Hakim AlAqel are among the most internationally recognized Yemeni modernists, with work that brings the Arab figurative tradition into conversation with the country's distinct cultural geography. The Artsamy Yemeni collection includes both historic masters and contemporary voices working through the country's recent decades of upheaval.