Solomon R Guggenheim Museum acquires five works by Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim

New York institution adds paper-mache sculptures from leading UAE experimentalist to its expanding Middle East collection

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim is renowned for his abstract and organic sculptures. Photo: Augustine Paredes

The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York has acquired five works by Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim.

The acquisitions were revealed by Lawrie Shabibi, the Dubai gallery representing the artist.

A luminary in the UAE contemporary art scene, Ibrahim is particularly renowned for his abstract and organic sculptures. He began his practice in the late 1980s, leading an avant-garde scene along with Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Hussein Sharif and Mohammed Kazem. Much of his work reflects on the natural environment of his native Khor Fakkan.

Ibrahim came to international attention with his National Pavilion UAE exhibition at the 2022 Venice Biennale. The exhibition celebrated Ibrahim’s four-decade career, highlighting him as one of the UAE’s seminal experimental artists.

The paper-mache sculptures acquired by the Guggenheim Foundation are representative of the artistic approach Ibrahim has honed over the past two decades. The five works were all created between 2018 and 2020 and serve as examples of his more recent output.

Dancer Contessa (2020), Form in Object 1 (2018), Bearer (2020) and Standing Body 4 (2020) were purchased with funds contributed by Guggenheim's Middle Eastern Circle, a group of art collectors and enthusiasts dedicated to expanding the foundation’s collection of art from the region.

Twin Blossom 2 (2019) was purchased with both funds contributed by the Middle Eastern Circle, as well as a contribution by art specialist Mai Eldib, who also served as senior vice president at Sotheby’s.

Ibrahim’s works were acquired in honour of the foundation’s outgoing director Richard Armstrong, who was instrumental in establishing the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, set to open at the Saadiyat Cultural District in 2025.

Armstrong had held the position of director since 2008. Mariet Westermann, the former vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi, took over as the museum and foundation’s new director and chief executive in June.