MUSEUM COLLECTION 2007–2024
Basil Alkazzi (Monaco)
It is with great pleasure and admiration that we present this exhibition celebrating the artistic journey of Basil Alkazzi, a painter whose vision spans beyond the physical into the metaphysical. Born in 1938 aboard a ship travelling from Kuwait to Britain, Alkazzi’s life and work reflect a profound connection between the earthly and the celestial, between the tangible and the spiritual.
The exhibition showcases a significant collection of Alkazzi’s works dating from 2007 to 2024, now part of the Rothko Museum Collection. Inspired by the lush landscapes, flora, and skies of Monaco and the South of France, the artist’s paintings celebrate the vitality of life while invoking the spiritual and cosmic dimensions that have always been at the heart of his artistic expression. Created with an extraordinary sense of colour, light, and form, they allow the viewer to contemplate the deep interconnections between the microcosm and the macrocosm, the earthly and the divine.
Alkazzi’s art resonates with an inner energy that transcends the physical world, as captured in the glowing colours and abstract forms that often evoke the cyclical rhythms of nature and the cosmos. His artistic approach, both innovative and rooted in profound personal association, speaks of the interconnectedness of life itself – where the horizon is not a boundary, but a passage into realms both known and unknown. The dynamism in his work, the tension between stillness and movement, mirrors the complexity of human experience and the vastness of the universe.
Beyond his extraordinary talent, Alkazzi is also a philanthropist and a patron of the arts. His vision for supporting emerging artists, students, and institutions is embodied in his creation of several awards, including the Basil Alkazzi Scholarship at the Royal College of Art and the Basil H. Alkazzi Award for young American painters. A great admirer of Rothko’s art, Alkazzi has extended his philanthropic endeavours to the Rothko Museum, where he has generously supported the institution’s mission through donations of his own work and the establishment of the Basil Alkazzi Acquisitions Fund for purchasing works by Latvian painters for the Rothko Museum Collection. This enduring relationship with the Rothko Museum underscores his belief in preserving artistic legacy and supporting emerging talent.
In addition to his support of the arts, Alkazzi has made a profound impact through other charitable efforts, for instance, by donating towards supporting the care and welfare of children living with severe autism. This philanthropic endeavour demonstrates Alkazzi’s unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of those in need.
We invite you to immerse yourself in the world of Basil Alkazzi – a world where the boundaries between art, nature, and the cosmos dissolve, revealing the interconnectedness of all life. So, let the exhibition offer more than just a visual experience. Let it be an invitation to meditate on the profound beauty of the universe and our place within it.
Curator Māris Čačka
Exhibition duration: 07.03.2025–18.05.2025
Publicity image: Basil Alkazzi. Transmigration II, 2016, gouache on paper, 58 × 79 cm (GL-581)
