Mahmoud Hammad
Syria, b. 1923 - 1988
Mahmoud Hammad began his career as a member of the Syrian Republican Guard before giving in to his talent and becoming an art teacher. He trained at Accademia di Belle Arte in Rome (1953-1957). In 1963, Hammad taught at the College of Fine Arts in Damascus, later becoming its Dean. Since 1966, his exploration into the plasticity of Arabic calligraphy led him towards abstraction. He was the first Syrian abstract artists to build his compositions around Arabic letters.
