Alcove: Intimate Essays on Arab Modernist Artists Vol. II
Overview
(Coming Soon)
Like its predecessor, this second edition of Alcove – from the Arabic al qubba, meaning vault or chamber – deepens the archive of Modern Arab art through 30 new personal essays. Narrated by the relatives, friends and students of pioneering figures who defined the region’s visual culture, this volume continues the first book’s celebration of memory, intimacy and reclamation and opens a space for remembrance, nuance and historical depth. Covering lives shaped by the 20th century – a transformative time, at once disruptive, turbulent and full of innovation and rebirth – it unveils stories that risk being lost to time, and offers a collective portrait of Arab Modernism as a lived, deeply human experience.
Featuring modernist artists including Amal Abdenour, Zeinab Abdel Hamid, Yvette Achkar, Safeya Binzagr, Kamal Boullata, Rafic Charaf, Laure Ghorayeb, Mahmoud Hammad, Faiq Hassan, Naziha Salim, Hussein Madi, and Elias Zayat, among others, Alcove II brings together personal recollections that illuminate the lives and legacies of those who shaped Modern art from across the Levant, Gulf and North Africa.
Text by Myrna Ayad
Foreword by H.R.H Princess Wijdan Al-Hashemi
Graphic Design by Kate Scott
About the Authors
Myrna Ayad
For over two decades, Myrna Ayad has authored, edited, and contributed to several books, magazines and dailies on visual art and culture from the Arab world and Iran. A frequent panellist, jurist, and moderator, her role as an independent cultural strategist has allowed her to work on projects within the luxury sector, government entities, private companies, and non-profit organisations in the Arab world. Based in the UAE for over four decades, Ayad is a graduate of the American University in Dubai.
H.R.H Princess Wijdan Al-Hashemi
Artist, art historian, academic and diplomat, H.R.H. Princess Wijdan Al-Hashemi carries a Ph.D. in Islamic Art from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) (1993), University of London, and is a Fellow of SOAS (2010). She established the Royal Society of Fine Arts (1979) which founded the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (1980). She founded the Higher Institute of Islamic Art and Architecture at Al Al-Beit University in Jordan (1993) and the School of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan (2002). She was Ambassador of Jordan to Italy (2006-2011). She is the first scholar to write the history of modern and contemporary Islamic art (1987) and has over 21 publications. At present she continues writing and working in the arts.
Technical Details
- Publication Date:
- Friday, October 31, 2025
- Language:
- English
- Format:
- Hardcover
- Dimensions:
- 16.5 x 24 cm
- Weight:
- 1 kg
- ISBN:
- 978-9948-692-74-4
- Number of Pages:
- 336
- Publisher:
- Kaph Books