Saad Yagan

Saad Yagan (b. 1950) is a celebrated, award-winning Syrian artist, instructor and media commentator who was born in Aleppo and is based in Beirut. Having begun painting in his early teens, he graduated from the Plastic Arts Centre, Faculty of Fine Arts in Aleppo, in 1964, holding his first solo show just five years later at the city’s National Museum. He also attended the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University, completing his studies in 1970.

A prolific expressionist artist who has produced art across five decades, Yagan is an established art expert and media personality who is recognised for the contribution he has made to Syria’s art scene. These include setting up The Point Gallery for art and literature in Aleppo, hosting and appearing on several television programmes, teaching art and undertaking related voluntary projects. 

Yagan is known for producing figurative art that chronicles modern urban Aleppo life, from its café culture to the music and literary scenes. His elegant, stylized characters reveal hallmark serious, expressive faces and elongated bodies, often with a geometric aspect to them and caught in mid-movement. The dynamism of his characters, brought to life in vibrant, rich colours, is in stark contrast to the static backdrops he tends to give his compositions. 

The issues Yagan explores reflect the day-to-day lives of his compatriots, but also the broader human condition. “My art is universal as it portrays human feelings and psychology,” he has said. “From boredom, to depression, to loneliness, I want to reveal what people are thinking. People mix in coffee shops and public places but deep down inside, they have a completely separate psychology and are each on their own.”

In other works, Yagan draws inspiration from scenes derived from ancient mythology and literature, such as his Arabian Nights series.

Over the decades, his art has featured in more than 100 exhibitions in the region and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include events at: Al Bustan International Festival of Music, Beirut (2019); ‘Melhema Gilgamesh’, Claremont University, Los Angeles (2019); SV Gallery (in cooperation with Kazah Showroom), Beirut (2017); Tajalliyat Gallery, Beirut (2016); Beirut Artspace, Dubai (2016); Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut (2014); ‘Selections’, Orjowan Gallery, Beirut (2013); ‘The Other’, Art House Gallery, Damascus (2011); ‘Music’, Art House Gallery, Damascus (2009); ‘Thousand and One Nights’, Art House Gallery, Damascus (2008); Arti Form Gallery, Montreal, Canada (2007); ‘Saad Yagan diaries 2005’, Ashtar Gallery, Damascus (2005); Small-size paintings for the book signing of ‘Women and Flood’, Dar Kalimat Gallery, Aleppo (2004); ‘The Wall’, Fateh Al Moudaress Gallery, Damascus (2004); ‘Liberation’, Atassi Gallery, Damascus/Bilad Alsham Gallery, Aleppo (2002); and ‘Tarab in Aleppo’, Ashtar Gallery, Aleppo (2000).

Some of the recent group shows Yagan has taken part in include: Venice International Biennale, Italy (2019); ‘100 + 1’ (painting on ceramic plates), KARMA Art Gallery (2010); ‘Art from Syria’, American University Museum, Washington (2007); ‘Liberation’, Public Park, Aleppo and Al Assad Library, Damascus (2006); Duo exhibition with Bernie Sorge for Canadian Cultural Days in Syria, Arts Syndicate, Aleppo and Fateh Al Moudaress Gallery, Damascus (2006); Unesco Palace, Beirut (2003); and Art Gallery, Abdullah Alsalem, Kuwait (2001). Yagan lives and works today in Beirut.