Mustafa Ali, Syria’s foremost sculptor, was born in Latakia in 1956. Known for elegant, monumental sculptures that pierce the consciousness and underscore the fragility of mankind, he has been widely collected in the Arab world for nearly three decades. Mustafa has been a major contributor to the Majlis Galleries Exhibition programme since the mid 1990’s. He will be showing new works with us in Design Days 2013
After training in sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, he continued his studies at the Fine Arts Academy in Carrara, Italy, graduating in 1996. He has exhibited extensively on the international art circuit since 1979 and has participated in a number of high-profile events such as Latakia Sculpture Biennial (where he was awarded the Golden Prize) (1997), the Biennial of Alexandria, Egypt (1994), the Sharjah Biennial (1995), and the International Symposium for Sculptors in Valencia, Spain (2001).
Ali’s work is housed in private and public collections, including a number of official institutions in Syria such as the National Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Damascus, in addition to the Jordan National Gallery in Amman, the Sharjah Museum of Art and the Arab World Institute in Paris. Many of his bronze and wood sculptures can also be found in public spaces, such as “The Gate of Syria,” which is on display in the Mediterranean Olympiad in Pari, Italy, and “The Tower of Memory,” which stands in the Damascus International Fairground.
Indispensible to the Syrian art scene for years, Ali is also the director of the renowned Damascus art center The Mustafa Ali Art Foundation, which presents exhibitions, workshops, lectures and cultural events throughout. A highly acclaimed artist but also a man who loves to play within his genre.