Burhan Karkutli
Follow ArtistBurhan Karkutli (1932 – 2003): A Syrian Artist's Journey from Damascus to Germany
Karkutli’s Early Artistic Foundations: Studies in Cairo and Madrid
Burhan Karkutli was a Damascus-born Syrian artist who lived in Germany for much of his life. He first studied painting at both the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and the San Fernando University in Madrid.
Journalism and Early Artistic Ventures in Morocco & Germany
In 1960 he moved to Casablanca, Morocco, where he worked as a journalist and caricaturist before travelling to Berlin, Germany after gaining a scholarship to study painting there.
Although he settled in Germany, Karkutli also travelled, visiting destinations in Europe and the Americas, where he routinely became involved in both the local art scenes and activism, producing posters and other literature.
In 1970 he moved to Frankfurt, where he worked as a graphic designer and school teacher, before relocating to Bonn in 1982, where he settled and became a full-time artist.
The Influence of Damascus and the Palestinian Cause on Karkutli’s Art
Despite making Germany his home, the Arab world remained Karkutli’s primary source of inspiration, notably his city of birth and the Palestinian people and their cause. “Damascus gave me the beauty of art and the beauty of politics in one package,” he said. “I carried it with me to the diaspora and these memories are part of my body.”
Karkutli’s Artistic Style: From Figurative Ink Drawings to Vibrant Oil Paintings
Karkutli’s art is largely figurative and often created in black and white, using black ink, which adds pathos and melancholy to his subjects, while reaffirming his talent as a graphic designer.
His protagonists are usually Arabic in origin, depicted in traditional dress and simplified form and shape. Sometimes families and often children, whose large sad eyes tell a troubled tale, or animals, these subjects are created with thick, black outlines and set against white backgrounds, enhanced by hallmark motifs and patterns that fill the space.
Karkutli also produced contrasting colourful paintings in oils of traditional occasions and cultural celebrations, such as weddings and feasts, or folklore-inspired scenes, steeped in heritage. In addition, he produced several book covers and numerous editorial illustrations.
Legacy and Dedication to Palestinian Art and Culture
Karkutli was one of the founding members of the Palestinian Artist Federation in Beirut and dedicated several of his artworks to the Palestinian cause. Disillusioned by the Oslo Accord, he moved from the visual arts to storytelling in later years, recounting popular Arab tales (hakawati) to audiences at German theatres.
Karkutli’s Exhibitions and Enduring Posthumous Influence in International Collections
Burhan Karkutli’s artwork has been exhibited extensively worldwide, both while he was alive, when he became known for carrying it from city to city and setting it up himself, and posthumously.
Recent group exhibitions featuring Karkutli’s work include: ‘The Naïve Arab Artist: Naïfs, Outsiders, L’Art Autre and L’Art Brut in the Middle East’, American University of Beirut Art Galleries, Beirut (2020); ‘(Nothing But) Flowers’, Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut (2019); ‘Revolution Generations’, Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar (2018); ‘Framed/Unframed: Women and Representations of Women in Palestinian Visual Arts’, Birzeit University Museum, Birzeit, Palestine (2011).
Burhan Karkutli’s work can be found in several prestigious international collections, including in the Lebanese Embassy in Mexico, the Dalloul Art Foundation in Beirut, the Birzeit Museum in Palestine and the Palestinian Poster Project.