Adham Ismail was credited as the first Syrian artist to experiment with abstraction. Moving away from realism, Ismail addressed contemporary, local and regional topics such as the Arab struggle, freedom and revolution throughout his oeuvre. Unique in his distinct style, he drew inspiration from calligraphy.
He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Rome in 1956, after being awarded a scholarship by the Italian government. He taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University and served as an art advisor for a short time in the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. During his life, Ismail’s works were shown widely in group exhibitions
His works have been acquired by the Syrian Ministry of Culture, National Museum in Damascus, the Samawi Collection, and the Dummar Museum in Syria. Additionally, one of the most important art education centres in Syria was named after him, the Adham Ismail Center for Fine Arts.
