Sami Muhammad Departs... His Brush and Chisel Tell the Story
- Designed the State Encouragement Award in 1993... and the State Appreciation Award with a medal in 2000
The feather and the chisel found no rest in his hands, as their echo traveled from Kuwait to the global stage, with some of his works finding their way under the hammer at international auctions... Even after his passing from this world today, Tuesday, at the age of 82, they will remember what the Kuwaiti artist Sami Muhammad’s hands created.
Born in the East District in 1943, he left behind a prominent artistic and creative legacy, and a career full of contributions during which he helped consolidate the presence of Kuwaiti plastic arts locally, regionally, and internationally.
The late artist began his journey with plastic arts and sculpture early on, before continuing his academic studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo, where he studied sculpture in 1970. That same year, he also received an honorary diploma from "Can Ceramique" in France.
Sami Muhammad is considered one of the founding names of the modern Kuwaiti plastic arts movement. He was a founding member of the Kuwait Association for Plastic Arts in 1967 and continued throughout his career to present artistic experiments characterized by exploration and experimentation, drawing inspiration from Surrealist and Expressionist trends in his works, which formed an important aspect of his artistic experience.
Throughout his long career, the late artist won numerous local and international awards and honors in recognition of his artistic contributions and his role in the Kuwaiti plastic arts movement. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters also entrusted him with several important artistic tasks, including designing the State Encouragement Award in 1993, and designing and executing the State Appreciation Award with a medal in 2000.
Sami Muhammad was among the artists whose artistic experience was particularly linked to sculpture. He managed to present works that reflected his unique vision and combined expressive power with a search for meaning, becoming one of the most prominent names in the Kuwaiti plastic arts scene and representing one of the generations that contributed to building and developing Kuwaiti art.
With his passing, the Kuwaiti artistic scene has lost one of its pioneers who left a clear mark on the history of plastic arts and sculpture. His works and experience remain a testament to an artistic career that spanned decades and contributed to enriching the cultural and artistic landscape in Kuwait.
Regarding Christie’s, the global auction house’s Dubai branch selected more than one sculpture by the late artist in separate periods during 2008. The first, titled "Sabra and Shatila," sold at auction for $65,000. The second work, titled "The Breakthrough," sold for $55,000. The third work, titled "The Moment of Exit," sold for $38,000.
