The Farjam Foundation is honored to present the exhibition “Arab Presences: Modern Art and Decolonization Paris 1908–1988 – Farjam Collection Close-Up,” curated by esteemed art historian and curator Morad Montazami. This exhibition builds upon a previous iteration co-curated by Montazami and Madeleine de Colnet at the Paris Museum of Modern Art (April 3–August 25, 2024).
For Abu Dhabi Art, Montazami has curated approximately 50 artworks from the Farjam Collection, expanding upon his earlier research. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue, produced in English for the first time at Abu Dhabi Art, trace artistic trajectories from countries including Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco, among others. They reveal stories of exile, undermined legacies, internationalism, and artistic solidarity. Together, they offer a long-overdue mapping of “Paris as an Arab Capital,” using both artworks and archival materials to restore this lost narrative, now ready to be revived and reassessed.
The Farjam Foundation is also the sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Art Talks 2024.