Born in Aleppo, Louay Kayyali (1934-1978) began painting at the age of eleven. Although the bulk of his artistic career spanned only a short period of time (from 1961-1976), he was a highly important modernist, with contributions to the advancement of Syrian art that were vast.

After returning from studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, he worked as an art instructor at secondary schools in the Syrian capital and later as a professor of interior design in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Damascus. With his place in the local art scene already established—he had represented Syria in the 1960 Venice biennale alongside Fateh Moudarres—he utilized his art to depict popular subjects in compositions that possesseAyyam Auctions...