An installation view of Douglas Abdell's retrospective at Ab-Anbar Gallery, showing on the wall collaged paintings made in New York in the 1970s, and his later columns from the 1980s that responded to the Lebanese Civil War. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
An installation view of Douglas Abdell's retrospective at Ab-Anbar Gallery, showing on the wall collaged paintings made in New York in the 1970s, and his later columns from the 1980s that responded to the Lebanese Civil War. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
An installation view of Douglas Abdell's retrospective at Ab-Anbar Gallery, showing on the wall collaged paintings made in New York in the 1970s, and his later columns from the 1980s that responded to the Lebanese Civil War. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
An installation view of Douglas Abdell's retrospective at Ab-Anbar Gallery, showing on the wall collaged paintings made in New York in the 1970s, and his later columns from the 1980s that responded to

Douglas Abdell's Punic Wars rediscovered in a London retrospective


Melissa Gronlund
  • English
  • Arabic

"I represent the East,” says artist Douglas Abdell, 74, fashioning an “E” symbol with three fingers of his right hand. “New York City and the Middle East."

The son of a Lebanese and Italian family, Abdell made his name in downtown New York in the late 1970s, incorporating kung-fu movie posters and graffiti into his collaged paintings; hanging around with Jean-Michel Basquiat; even installing monumental sculptures on Park Avenue in the dead of night.

“It was the great period of New York, like Paris with Picasso,” he says. “There were all these concerts – rap and hip-hop and Grandmaster Flash. The graffiti artists were getting into the art world. As we well know, the art world is upper-class, snobby, closed people – and all of a sudden you see these people from the street. It was so exciting, to see everything mix together. I worked for three, four years, and made over 400 works.”

Douglas Abdell's work from the 1970s collaged together movie posters from Chinatown in downtown New York City. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
Douglas Abdell's work from the 1970s collaged together movie posters from Chinatown in downtown New York City. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery

Then Adbell disappeared. He moved to Spain, first to Madrid and then to Malaga, and worked in relative obscurity for 30 years. His work has now been rediscovered by French curator Morad Montazami, who has put together a small retrospective of the pieces at Ab-Anbar Gallery in Cromwell Place, London.

Divided into three sections, Reconstructed Trap House, on view until Sunday, October 24, provides a semi-chronological overview of Abdell’s concerns: his black-and-white, hieroglyphic-like work that he started making in the 1970s and continues today; the energetic paintings he made in New York in the 1980s – which Montazami terms Neo-Expressionist – and lastly, the somber, totemic sculptures he has made over the past 20 years, inspired by the Phoenicians.

Abdell grew up in the north-eastern US speaking Italian with his mother’s family, Arabic with his father’s Lebanese family, and now Spanish with his wife. Language, and in particular its shape on the page, is a constant throughout his work. He developed his own internal vocabulary to typify his paintings, drawings and sculptures, which he uses as liberally as if it were accepted terminology, for example, he refers to his hieroglyphic-like works, letterings that he scratched on carbon paper during his first period of seclusion, when he lived "like a hermit" in the New York and Vermont woods for six years, as his "Aekyads".

Douglas Abdell began making a series of works he calls 'Aekyids' while in Thoreau-like seclusion in the 1970s. He has continued making them until today. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
Douglas Abdell began making a series of works he calls 'Aekyids' while in Thoreau-like seclusion in the 1970s. He has continued making them until today. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery

“I didn't have television, I didn’t have a radio, I didn't have a telephone,” he says. “During the day I would make my sculptures. But I did have a record player and I would listen to soul music – rhythm and blues, a lot of James Brown. I put the record on that and would continue, continue, continue. Then at night when the sun went down, I made paintings and I read German Romanticism: Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, a lot of Novalis.”

Afterwards, he moved to Boston for a while, spurning offers to teach. But he was constantly shuttling between Boston and New York and was eventually lured by the latter city's downtown art scene.

The energy in the city at the time suffused his practice. Just as hip-hop culture was then emerging through an aesthetic of sampling, he, too, mixed and matched from what he saw around him: Chinese film posters, the Art Brut of Basquiat; various material from the street. The works he made in this Neo-Expressionist period, not on canvas but on reclaimed wood boards, are some of the most striking in the show: the personal language and symbology that he had assiduously created in the Vermont woods has burst open to take in the world around him.

The Chinese characters, for example, taken from posters near his studio on the outskirts of Chinatown, appear like long-lost brothers to his own imagined “Aekyad” letters – and in retrospect act as harbingers of the further exploration of language that would continue in the next phase of his career.

In the 1980s, he switched tack again. He was energised by the antiwar politics of the time, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and grew angered by the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. By 1989 he had left the US for the Mediterranean, where he resurrected the Punic Wars as a means to understand the conflict between Israel, Palestine and Lebanon.

“The politics started to boil,” he recalls. “To see the Lebanese people suffering – why? I made a declaration and said, I am the reincarnation of Hannibal, coming from Carthage over the Alps in the Second Punic War.”

In the 1980s, Abdell started making tapestries, sculptures and prints inspired by the Phoenicians. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery
In the 1980s, Abdell started making tapestries, sculptures and prints inspired by the Phoenicians. Photo: Ab-Anbar Gallery

Like with his Aekyads, the Punic Wars furnished a new heuristic for his artwork. History officially records two Punic Wars, which took place from the 3rd to the 2nd century BC between Rome and Carthage (now in Tunisia). He drew on his own background, split between Italy and Lebanon, to frame the encounter between north and south of the Mediterranean: he proposed himself as a new Hannibal-like avenger, coming from the north to agitate for the south, in a fourth Punic War.

He made bright red, white and black columns, retaining the graffiti aesthetic of the New York works of the 1970s and '80s, but turning back to his enigmatic alphabet. They are festooned with numbers, symbols and letters invented from Phoenician, Etruscan and Roman forms. The columns appear freighted with meaning – as well as anger – but the messages they contain remain unknowable.

Abdell sought, he says, to celebrate the accomplishments of the Phoenicians, the forefathers of modern Lebanon, at a time when Lebanon was being pulled apart by the Civil War.

“My grandfather used to sit me on his knee and tell me about the Phoenicians,” he recalls. “My grandmother would say, stop telling him that stuff about the old country. But he would go on. They sailed; they invented the first alphabet; all the things they did.”

He has maintained his focus on the Phoenicians since, building up a library around Phoenician history and visiting various archaeological sites. His works slowly lost the punk aesthetic of New York City and grew to resemble the remains he was researching: more sombre, sandy in colour and symmetrical in form. They are inscribed with geometric and animal symbols much like the Phoenicians used, but after 30 years of his project of fictionalising and reinventing language, some scepticism is in store. These are not Phoenician monuments, but Abdell's own take on them.

Where do the ideas come from? "Where does anything come from? My central nervous system," he says, with a laugh.

Douglas Abdell: Reconstructed Trap House is at Ab-Anbar Gallery in Cromwell Place, London, until Sunday, October 24

While you're here
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

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China

3.

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4.

Japan

5

Norway

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Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Overview

Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal

Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Countries offering golden visas

UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.

Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.

Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.

Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.

Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence. 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
MATCH INFO

Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')

Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

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The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

Fixtures

Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11

August 9

Liverpool v Norwich 11pm

August 10

West Ham v Man City 3.30pm

Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm

Burnley v Southampton 6pm

C Palace v Everton 6pm

Leicester v Wolves 6pm

Watford v Brighton 6pm

Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm

August 11

Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm

Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm

 

Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: October 23, 2021, 5:02 AM`