Hosted by Sharjah Museums Department (SMD), the fourth annual Lasting Impressions exhibition at Sharjah Art Museum will bring together a retrospective collection of paintings by the late Syrian artist Abdul-Latif Al-Smoudi.

Conceived in 2010, the Lasting Impressions exhibition showcases the works of outstanding local and Arab artists, who over the course of their careers have carved out a distinguished presence in the Arab contemporary cultural landscape.

This year’s exhibition will take place from 9 October – 30 November in the east wing of the art museum. Al-Smoudi’s paintings will be displayed via various themes and are being unveiled to art enthusiasts as part of SMD’s commitment to make the work of renowned Arab artists accessible to those living in the UAE.

Al-Smoudi was born in 1948 in Syria’s west-central city of Hama and, until his demise in 2005, was a long-time resident of Sharjah. He graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Syria’s Damascus University in 1975 and went on to participate in numerous exhibitions both internationally and locally.

Through his artwork, Al-Smoudi aimed to induce a sense of rapture and harmony between humankind and nature, using traditional Islamic architectural forms such as archways, towers, domes and the Mehrab. He also used mosaic inlays and traditional carpet weaves to embellish his old world yet essentially contemporary works of art.

His work has been shown in the Ministry of Culture in Syria, at Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation and at the Department of Islamic Manuscripts at the Louvre, Paris, as well as in 30 solo and 32 group exhibitions across the world.

Al-Smoudi was a founder member of the Emirates Fine Arts Society and assisted with the organisation of children’s workshops for the annual Sharjah Book Fair between 1985 and 1988. He also designed the Sharjah Pavilion for the 1985 International Tourism Exhibition in Germany.

“SMD is privileged to curate the show of the renowned late Syrian artist Abdul Latif Al Smoudi,” says Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD. “His work will be shown in a museum for the first time, although numerous exhibitions of his works in tht past have been shown at galleries regionally and sold to major collectors internationally. This will be the first comprehensive retrospective of his deep intellectual abstract works and we in Sharjah as always are proud to be instrumental in honoring significant figures in arab art of his generation.‘