Ali Hassan
The Letter 'Nun'2007

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Ali Hassan
Qatar, born 1956
Title: The Letter 'Nun'
Date Made: 2007
Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: Sheet: 29 5/8 x 41 5/8 in. (75.25 x 105.73 cm); Plate: 24 x 35 1/2 in. (60.96 x 90.17 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by the Joan Palevsky Bequest
Accession Number: M.2008.5
Classification: Prints
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Contemporary
Curatorial Notes: Because it is through writing that the Qur’an is transmitted, scripts in the Arabic alphabet were devised and perfected to be worthy of divine revelation. On this account, calligraphy became the most important Islamic art form, regardless of the text. Arabic writing is therefore a consistent and powerful theme in classical Islamic art. It also resonates with contemporary artists as both an art form and an expression of their cultural or religious identity. In his work, Ali Hassan focuses on the single letter nun or N (for the work of another contemporary artist centered on a single letter, see M.2006.131). The bold, black letter, dramatically offset against the light paper, recalls the black inscriptions on a white ground that characterize tenth-century Islamic ceramic wares (see M.2002.1.14).

2025

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Ali Hassan
Qatar, born 1956
Title: The Letter 'Nun'
Date Made: 2007
Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: Sheet: 29 5/8 x 41 5/8 in. (75.25 x 105.73 cm); Plate: 24 x 35 1/2 in. (60.96 x 90.17 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by the Joan Palevsky Bequest
Accession Number: M.2008.5
Classification: Prints
Collecting Area: Art of the Middle East: Contemporary
Curatorial Notes: Because it is through writing that the Qur’an is transmitted, scripts in the Arabic alphabet were devised and perfected to be worthy of divine revelation. On this account, calligraphy became the most important Islamic art form, regardless of the text. Arabic writing is therefore a consistent and powerful theme in classical Islamic art. It also resonates with contemporary artists as both an art form and an expression of their cultural or religious identity. In his work, Ali Hassan focuses on the single letter nun or N (for the work of another contemporary artist centered on a single letter, see M.2006.131). The bold, black letter, dramatically offset against the light paper, recalls the black inscriptions on a white ground that characterize tenth-century Islamic ceramic wares (see M.2002.1.14).

2025