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Kakafian-1968-rectBWBEzh51p6QBa
Golden Abstract Forms on Dark Ground - shown to scale
Ardash Kakfian

Golden Abstract Forms on Dark Ground, 1968

Estimated price$10,500 – $19,500

Oil on Canvas

58 × 72 cm | 22.8 × 28.3 in

Certificate of Authenticity

A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a signed document verifying that this artwork is the genuine work of the named artist. For pieces from the Hindiyeh Collection, the COA is signed by the collection. For gallery- or artist-direct pieces, it is issued by the gallery or by the artist's authorized estate.

The COA includes the artist's name, the title, year, medium, and dimensions of the work, and is delivered with the artwork at the time of dispatch.

Rarity classifications

Unique
A one-of-a-kind work. No other version of this piece exists.

Limited edition
The artist or their estate produced a known, finite number of copies. The edition size is shown in the work's details.

Open edition
The edition run is ongoing. New works may still be produced in the same series, which may be numbered or made to order.

Unknown edition
The edition has ended, but the number originally produced is no longer documented.
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Shipping & taxes

Ships from Amman, Jordan. Hand-packed in a custom crate or rigid art-tube depending on medium and size.

Delivery (after handling): 5–10 business days within MENA, 10–18 to Europe and North America, 14–25 elsewhere. Larger or framed works ship via fine-art freight; timing confirmed by email after purchase.

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About the work

Sweeping golden forms emerge from a deep, shadowy ground, their fluid contours suggesting organic movement and raw energy. Small accents of orange and white punctuate the composition, adding tension to an otherwise warm, brooding palette.

Ardash Kakfian (Iraq, 1941–2001).

Oil on Canvas, 72 × 58 cm, 1968.

Part of the permanent collection of the Hindiyeh Museum of Arts, Jordan. One of a kind.

Medium
Size
58 × 72 cm | 22.8 × 28.3 in
Year
1968
Rarity
Unique
Certificate of authenticity
Included
Genre
Colours
Yellow, Brown, Orange
Location
Amman, Jordan

About the artist

Ardash Kakfian — Oil on Canvas, 100 × 65 cm (representative image)
Ardash Kakfian

Iraq, b. 1941–2001

Ardash Kakafian (1941–1999) was an Iraqi painter of Armenian descent, born in Mosul. He became the youngest member of the Baghdad Modern Art Group, joining at the age of fifteen. In 1961, he moved to Paris to study architecture, later enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts to pursue his passion for art.

Kakafian's work is characterized by a fusion of Impressionist techniques and elements from the Al-Wasiti Abbasid School, resulting in expressive lines and vibrant colors. He explored various mediums, including wood printing, engraving, and lithography. Notably, he collaborated with poet Adonis on the book "Ararat," combining Adonis's texts with his lithographs.

Throughout his career, Kakafian held numerous exhibitions in Baghdad and Paris. In 1967, he had his first solo exhibition at the Four Winds Gallery in Paris. He received the first prize from the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1971 and was mentioned in the French Encyclopedia Larousse in 1975. His works have been auctioned internationally, with prices ranging from $1,015 to $27,500, the latter achieved for an untitled piece sold at Christie's Dubai in 2014. Kakafian passed away in Paris in 1999, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence contemporary art.

View all works by Ardash Kakfian

Oil

Pigment bound in oil, prized for its depth, luminosity, and slow drying that lets artists blend and build rich layers. The most enduring medium of modern painting, it remains central to the work of the region's leading modernists.
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Abstract Expressionism

A postwar movement built on spontaneous, gestural abstraction and broad fields of color, conveying feeling without recognizable subjects. Its freedom shaped many Arab modernists exploring abstraction in their own visual language.
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