I am in possession of a painting, which I acquired a while ago from a seller, who was not at all familiar with the artist of this work. He received this painting as a thank you gift after working in Indonesia, when he left to return to Australia, some years ago. It is an abstract painting signed by “Sabri” with a year indication of either 1944 or 1994, which is hard to determine. I am writing to you to get some clarification on this painting and whether it is worth selling this with the right auctioneers, such as yours. The painting measures approx. 455mm x 405mm and is signed by the artist as Sabri 44 or 94 (hard to see). It seems the image is painted on canvas glued to board. I know there are several artists called Sabri, but the signatures do not compare with the one I have. Sabri Are you familiar with this painting and/or the artist? I would very much appreciate some feed back from you, as I was directed company by an antique dealer in Australia, where I live. He thought it was a vintage abstract sea scape painting titled “Breakthrough”. The frame suggests it was mid 20th century. In the event you are familiar with this artist, could you provide an approximate auction value for this work. Images are attached below.
See above
Dear Jos,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
The item presented is an abstract seascape on board which appears to be by the artist called Ata Sabri (1913-1987), who was active and lived in Iraq.
The painting measures approx. 45,5 cm x 40,5 cm and is signed on the lower left. There are some signs of craquelure, but all in all, the painting is in good condition.
This work is definitely from the 1940s. It is close to what another British artist Paul Nash was doing at the time. Please check for your information:
https://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-nash/totes-meer-1941
The signature is comparable to other signatures observed in other works by Ata Sabri but slightly differs; It is followed by the execution date (1944).
After checking our records, this particular artist is rarely offered on the auction market, and the most recent auction result that we have is for an unsold painting in 2019. Therefore, the estimate highlighted in red has been based on the following criteria:
The most recent existing auction market
The subject work's size
Composition
Condition based on photographs and comments provided
In many cases, please note that pricing for similar items available on the primary (retail) market vary and are often higher than secondary (auction) market examples.
For further information on how to sell your artwork on our website, please check
https://mearto.com/consign
Best regards,
Karine
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