Funeral of Abdulhamid Ismail, sculptor of 'The Dream'

After an artistic career spanning more than half a century, the Kuwaiti visual arts community yesterday mourned the passing of sculptor and artist Abdulhamid Ismail Hussein, who died at the age of 86, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy and a prominent name in the history of Kuwaiti sculpture and the visual arts movement.

His passing marks the absence of one of the most prominent artists of the generation that bore the responsibility of establishing Kuwaiti sculpture in its early stages. He believed that art was not a fleeting hobby, but a life project. From his early years at the Free Studio, he chose sculpture as his own language, working with wood, stone, ceramics, and other materials, transforming inert mass into a space for expressing humanity, dreams, and freedom.

Ismail was not confined to a single artistic school; rather, he carved his own path between realism and abstraction, and between romanticism and symbolism, striving to transform reality into a dream. Consequently, his works were laden with emotional states and open-ended questions, rather than being mere silent forms and blocks. He sought the spirit within the material and the human meaning within the form. His works remain a testament to his creations, including his notable sculptures "Motherhood" and "The Martyr," the latter of which was acquired by a German doctor and is currently housed in the largest eye hospital in Germany.

Throughout his long career, he won numerous awards and honors that reflected his status in the Kuwaiti visual arts scene. These included the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Association’s exhibition in 1972, the State Appreciation Award in 2002, the State Award in the field of Visual and Applied Arts in 2003, and the Khalifa Al-Qattan Award in the field of sculpture.

In 2011, the Kuwait Association for Visual Arts honored him with a special exhibition and a book documenting his experience, celebrating fifty years of contribution. At the time, he was described as the "Dean of Sculptors," in recognition of his role in enriching the Kuwaiti visual arts movement and establishing the presence of sculpture in the artistic landscape.

His contributions did not stop at sculpture; he remained an artist-researcher and experimenter until his final years, transitioning into painting and composition. He emphasized that a true artist never stops searching. In his 2025 exhibition titled "The Brush After the Chisel... Who Am I?", he combined acrylics, reliefs, and sculptures. In his final works, he drew inspiration from seabirds and their symbolism of freedom, movement, and spirit.

The late "Abu Bashar" was more than just a sculptor; he was part of Kuwaiti art’s memory and of a generation that helped secure sculpture’s place within the visual arts movement. He participated in workshops and artistic events, passing his expertise to new generations, believing that art is a memory that preserves the history of peoples, and that an artist’s experience does not end with the conclusion of their productive years, but continues through the impact they leave behind.

"Abu Bashar" has passed, but the chisel that served as his language remains a witness in his works, and his name remains present in the memory of the Kuwaiti visual arts movement, testifying to an artist who believed that stone could be transformed into life, and that art could grant its creator a presence that transcends age and absence. May God have mercy on the artist and sculptor Abdulhamid Ismail Hussein, grant him a spacious place in Paradise, and inspire his family and loved ones with patience and solace.