Numerous portraits included in the show reflect how El Rayess’ travels in West Africa, specifically Senegal in the late 1940s through the 1950s, were key influences on his early work.
DUBAI: For Hala El-Rayess, the moment had finally come. For years, she had tried to organize a comprehensive exhibition paying tribute to her late father, the prolific Lebanese modernist Aref El-Rayess, who died in 2005. And in late 2021, such a show was held at Beirut’s Sfeir-Semler Gallery, displaying the artist’s diverse body of work; including paintings, sculptures and