Nassar with one of the oldest codices attributed to the third Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, The Central Library of Islamic Manuscripts (Awqaf Library), al-Sayyida Zainab, Cairo, 2017.

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Nassar with Prince Charles at his exhibition at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, London, 2007

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The Power of The TraditionNassar Mansour is notable for the mission we see in his art and his writing to give new life to the venerable Muhaqqaq script, one of the six classical scripts of Arabic calligraphy.

In his Sacred Script (London 2011) Nassar traces the history of this script and, together with examples of his own work which show Muhaqqaq’s versatility, he offers a new copybook (Amshaq) for learning to write the script. He has now published this copybook in separate form (Istanbul 2017) to give us the first extant copybook of its kind. No other examples have come down to us from the past. Nassar’s own researches to define these letter forms, were made across many years in manuscript collections from Istanbul to Europe to the Middle East.

Nassar’s book is titled Sacred Script, because Muhaqqaq expresses the centrality in Islamic calligraphy of faith - faith’s inspiring power, its beauty and what it proposes for the human subject by way of self control, fidelity and humility.

The calligraphic tradition - all that we take from the masters of the past - importantly confers on its students a realignment, a liberation from the constraints of the undeveloped self. It promises a release into a new context of artistic aspiration which is informed by the genius of the past and by the individual insights of the artist today. It is hard to avoid the reflection that this radical relevance is itself a manifestation of faith, the energy which empowers each one of us.

These thoughts are expressed in the title of this exhibition, Islamic art engages with the created order to point .هوtowards and praise the Author of creation. He is the source

of faith and our vision of beauty seeks His mystery. In the works exhibited here, Nassar demonstrates his versatility and superb technical achievements in interpreting the tradition for today and in different media, paper, metal and stone.

An idiom of Nassar’s work is his projection of the meaning of the words written onto the shape and form of the design of the calligraphy. Thus his choice of script and the composition are aligned with the meaning. As his work has matured, Nassar has committed himself more and more to the essential forms of the letters. He has moved away from the conventional reliance on the vowel signs and the orthographic features to complete designs. Instead, he has insisted on leaving the letter forms as the bare architecture of the meaning. The explorer Wilfred Thesiger, known in Dubai as Mubarak min Landan, used to say of the landscape in Palestine, ‘it is beauty in the bone’. So it is with Nassar’s calligraphy: a spare, lean aesthetic evokes the transcendent. The gold given to the dots which distinguish some letters, expresses the absence of lesser decoration and reminds us of the system of proportion, based on the size of the dots, which shapes the script.

Through this association of a modern vision of beauty and the undying power of the tradition inherited from a remote past, may we be encouraged and renewed in our confidence in a world which just at the moment seems very uncertain.

Sir Mark Allen A pupil of Nassar’s. He has an ijaza in Muhaqqaq.

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Composition and Meaning“He who writes the basmala well will obtain innumerable blessings” ( Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad )

Nassar Mansour is a khattat, a calligrapher, who not only writes the basmala well but who has dedicated his life to the service of beautiful writing, the essence of the meaning of the word calligraphy.

The deepest test for a calligrapher who choses to go down the traditional path in the study of the Arabic script is the ijaza, the diploma obtained through years of study. Only after this can the calligrapher write the words ‘Written by’ (katabahu or katabthu) after his or her name.

Nassar Mansour studied with Hassan Çelebi (b.1937) who belongs to an important tradition established by the celebrated Ottoman calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah (d.1520). Such was his reputation that his students were said to have buried their pens near his grave for a week in the hope that his spiritual power be transferred to them. That connection remains a powerful one and, once the rules are mastered so that creating letters in proportion to each other has become utterly instinctive, the skill of the calligrapher is the beauty and creativity that lies at the heart of the composition.

This is what we see in the works of Nassar Mansour: his texts are drawn mostly from the Qur’an, the styles range from square Kufic to muhaqqaq, the script that he revived from obscurity for his doctoral dissertation, which he now teaches and which has become his signature style.

“My calligraphy reflects the content and the meaning of the words and text. I love to demonstrate simplicity in my works to make them beautiful, accessible and understandable to the onlookers”

Venetia Porter Assistant Keeper (Curator), Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Department, The British Museum

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من “كن” إلى “هو”

ليست هذه مفردات مبعثرة، وال هي محاولة للبحث عن كلمات ذات معنى إلعادة ترتيبها في سياق مفهوم، وهي ليست مجرد تجميع

أعمال في فضاء واحد تحت مسمى ما كذلك... إنما هي محاولة ذات هدف؛ أال وهو الوقوف على المنجز الفني اإلبداعي للدكتور نصار

منصور. هي تجربة امتدت معه نحو ما يقارب ثالثة عقود تمكن خاللها من امتالك أدواته وبناء ذاته، وارتقى بمنجزه الفني ليصبح أحد أعمدة

فن الخط العربي في العالم العربي واإلسالمي.

خالل مسيرة عشقه وسعيه في محبة فن الخط، ضبط نصار حروفه، فاكتسبت أشكاال وتكوينات كان لها أبعادا تجاوزت ما هو تقليدي إلى ما هو معاصر، و مقدس، وذو داللة. كيف ال والخط لديه “إحساس وليس مقياس“، ووسيلة للتفكير ال بل وشكل من أشكال الممارسة المقدسة

للتعبير البصري عن رمزية الكلمات اإللهية، واالنشغال بالمعاني نة للعمل الفني. األساسية، وجوهر األشكال المكو

عهدت الدكتور نصار منذ اثنين وثالثين عاما، مولعا بالخط وبامتالك أدواته، وهاهو اليوم يحلق بنا –في سماء هذا المعرض– من مساحة

إبداعية مميزة إلى أخرى أكثر تميزا؛ من “كن“ إلى “هو“... كانت “كن“- وهي الفعل المرتبط بالتكوين حكما- العمل الفني الذي

اختزل عملية التكوين في شكل بصري ثنائي األبعاد منطلقا بالفنون اإلسالمية وفن الخط نحو مساحات جديدة. أصبح العمل منذ والدته من ضمن مقتنيات المتحف البريطاني، وقد شكل جزءا أساسيا من

معرض “الكلمة في الفن: فنانو الحداثة في الشرق األوسط: مختارات من المقتنيات المعاصرة في المتحف البريطاني“ في سنة 2006.

وقد اعتبر مدير المتحف البريطاني نيل مكريغور “كن“ أيقونة الفنون اإلسالمية المعاصرة، ووصفها أنها تظهر بدقة لحظة التكوين نفسها

التي جسدها مايكل أنجلو في أعماله ولكن بصورة جرافيكية، وفي هذا إشادة فريدة بالمنجز اإلبداعي للفنان. لقد جاء في القران الكريم

“قال له كن فيكون“، وهذا ما جسده الفنان نصار في كلمة عبرت بإيجاز وإبداع عن معنى التكوين بدال من تصوير الحدث بتفاصيله الالمتناهية.

لم يتوقف نصار عند هذا المنجز وحسب، بل اعتبره انطالقة نحو مرحلة جديدة سعى من خاللها إلى البحث عن خامات وأدوات جديدة لتجسيد

بحثه البصري والجمالي، فجادت قريحته المبدعة عن تجارب نحتية تم تنفيذها بخامات مختلفة لتدهشنا كالعادة بحجم االختزال، والتجريب،

وكثافة المعنى الذي تم تضمينه في هذه األعمال. كانت المحاوالت النحتية األولى تحاكي تجاربه الخطية الورقية، ثم أصبحت مزيجا من

األشكال والمعاني الفريدة التي صيغت على شكل أعمال فنية ضخمة، سواء بالحجم أو باإلحساس.

يولي أهل التصوف حرف الهاء اهتماما كبيرا، فهو الحرف األخير من اسم الجاللة “الله“، كما أنه الحرف األول من كلمة “هو“ الدالة على الخالق. ويرى بعضهم الهوية اإللهية في شكل حرف الهاء التي تشع

نورا وهاجا ينشر الضياء في كل اتجاه. إن أسمى درجة يهفو الصوفي إلى إدراكها هي أن يحيطه نور حرف الهاء، وهذا الجانب التصوفي نراه

في العديد من أعمال نصار مثل: لوحته “األسماء الحسنى“، ولوحة “اإلخالص“، و“الله هو“. وفي أيقونته الجديدة “هو“ يأخذ نصار

الخط في رحلة جديدة تجمع بين أشكال إبداعية مختلفة بينما هي تختزل الواقع في أشكال بسيطة ذات حركة تشغل الفراغ ... وهذا يذكرنا

بعمل “الطيور في الفضاء“ لقسطنطين برانكوزي )1876–1957م( حيث األعمال التي تجذبنا ببساطة أشكالها وبمستوى االختزال البصري فيها بما في ذلك القيمة التجريدية للمنحوتة عبر تأويل حركة الطيور...

ولدى نصار، نجد هذا االختزال في الكتلة الخطية والنحتية ينقلها إلى فضاء جديد يمكننا من استيعاب التكوين من أكثر من جانب.

إن أعمال نصار سواء الخطية أوالنحتية تبتعد كل يوم عما هو سائد وتقليدي، وتسعى إلى إثراء الواقع البصري، وتهدف إلى اإلسهام في

التراث اإلنساني وتفعيل الحوار الثقافي واإلبداعي من خالل عملية البحث البصري واإلنتاج الفني.

يستند تقييم أي تجربة إبداعية إلى مجموعة من العوامل يدور أهمها حول مدى مساهمتها في التراث اإلنساني، واستيعابها له، وأصالتها،

واستمراريتها، وهذه جميعها تتحقق في تجربة الدكتور نصار منصور. ق بعد انقطاع دام حوالي فقد قام نصار بإحياء تقاليد الخط المحق

خمسمائة عام، وقام كذلك بإعادة رسم كتابات وزخارف منبر صالح الدين األيوبي في المسجد األقصى في القدس الذي أحرق سنة 1969م

وذلك ضمن مشروع إعادة بناء منبر صالح الدين، فضال عن إسهاماته اإلبداعية واألكاديمية المتواصلة والتي جعلته أحد أبرز فناني القرن

الحادي والعشرين.

الدكتور عرفات النعيم عميد كلية الفنون والتصميم في الجامعة األمريكية في اإلمارات

دبي | ابريل 2017

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From ‘Be’ To ‘He’These are not just scatterings of single letters, nor an attempt to find words with meaning to recast their composition within the context. Nor are these letters just a collection of pieces brought together in one space under a title. Instead they are an attempt which has an aim – to consider the artistic and creative achievement of Dr Nassar Mansour. This is an experience which has extended across nearly three decades in the course of which he has mastered his skills and advanced to become one of the senior masters of the art of calligraphy in both the Arab and Islamic worlds.

In the course of this long, passion and endeavor, Nassar has honed his letters giving them shape, formation and dimensions which go beyond the tradition and step into the contemporary, the realm of the sacred and symbolic. And how should this not be when calligraphy, in Nassar’s eyes, is ‘sense and not measurements; when it is a medium for thought and, indeed, a form of the sacred practice of giving visual expression to the symbolism of divine words and a preoccupation with the fundamental meanings, the essence of shape created for art in practice.

I have known Nassar for thirty two years. He has always been passionate about calligraphy and working hard to master it. And now he takes us, as though in the skies of this exhibition, from one outstanding creative space to another even more special, from ‘Be“ to “He“. “Be“ )Kun( – the act absolutely implicit in creation – is the artwork which reduces the action of creation to a two dimensional art form which it then takes in the idiom of Islamic art and calligraphy into a new range. Since its beginning, Kun has been in the possession of the British Museum and was a major piece in the 2006 exhibition there - ‘Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East: Selections from the British Museum’s collection of contemporary Middle Eastern art. The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, considered Kun the Icon of contemporary Islamic Art. He described it as

‘showing exactly the same moment of creation as represented in Michelangelo, but graphically’ and this is a fine praise for the creative achievement of the artist. In the Qur’an “He said to him, ‘Be’ and it was.” This is what Nassar as an artist captures with brevity and creativity in a word, to give the meaning of creation instead of imagining it in all its eternal detail.

Nassar does not stop there. Instead he considered it a point of departure to a new phase in which he tried to search for new elements and materials through which he can give reality to his visual aesthetic search. His creative talent has yielded sculptural experiences executed in different materials which astonished us with its conciseness, innovation and intensity of meaning contained in this works. His early experiments with sculptures reflected the experience of writing on paper, but then became a compound of form and meaning which was cast in artworks on a grand scale, both in size and aesthetic conception.

The mystical tradition in Islam, the Sufis, give a special importance to the letter ‘H’ (هـ( as the final letter in the name of God )Allah(, just as it is the first letter in the word ‘Hu’ )He(, referring to the Creator. Some Sufis see the Divine Identity (Huwiya) in the shape of the letter ‘H’. It shines a glowing light and spreads brightness in every direction. At the highest level, the Sufi goes as far as to see this as being surrounded by the light of the letter ‘H’. This Sufi aspect is something we see in many of Nassar’s work, like his “The 99 Names of God”, “al-Ikhlas” and “Allah Hu”. In his new iconic work ‘Huwa”, Nassar takes calligraphy on a new journey which joins different creative forms, but captures reality in simple shapes which employ space. In such a way he reminds us of the work “Bird in Space” of Constantin Brancusi )1876 – 1957(. Brancusi’s work attracts us for its simplicity of form and the level of visual concision, of abstraction almost, present in the sculpture through the interpretation of the movement of the birds. In Nassar’s case we find this concision

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of calligraphic composition carried out to a new space in which it allows us to conceive this artwork from new angles.

Nassar’s works, whether sculptures or on paper, take us every time away from the conventional and fashionable. He tries to enrich our visual life and aims to participate in the human heritage, to activate a creative and cultural dialogue through the medium of visual inquiry and artistic production.

The assessment of any creative experiment depends on a number of factors, the most important of which revolve round the extent of its participation in human heritage and comprehension of the experiment’s authenticity and sustainability. All these are achieved in the work of Nassar. He gave new life to the traditions of the Arabic script Muhaqqaq interrupted for about five hundred years. He restored the inscriptions and decoration on the minbar (pulpit) of Saladin in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, destroyed by fire in 1969. These contributions along with many other academic and creative continuous works have made him one of the most eminent artists of this twenty first century.

Dr ‘Arafat al-Na’imDean of the College of Arts and Design American University in the UAE.April 2017

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“هو” الخط إحساس وليس مقياس )نصار(

هذا هو معرضي الشخصي الرابع، فمنذ حوالي 19 عاما أقمت معرضي األول في عمان على قاعة المتحف الوطني األردني للفنون

الجميلة في العام ١٩٩٨ وكان بعنوان “أهل البيت“. وفيما بين معارضي األربعة شاركت في العديد من المعارض الجماعية في العديد

من دول العالم.

شكلت تلك الفترة الزمنية الممتدة بين معرضي األول ومعرضي هذا نقلة نوعية كبيرة لدي في مفهوم فن الخط، ليس على المستوى

الفني فحسب وإنما على المستوى األكاديمي أيضا، حيث كانت دراستي لنيل درجة الدكتوراة هي أهم المحطات في تلك الفترة.

سنحت لي دراستي األكاديمية الفرصة للتعرف إلى مراحل تطور فن الخط منذ بداياته على المواد المختلفة، كما أطلعتني على جهود

أساتذته وأعمالهم في مختلف المراحل الزمنية، األمر الذي منحني سعة وعمقا في فهم فن الخط، وأصوله، وأنماطه، وقوانينه، وآفاقه

الالمتناهية، فكانت أعمالي خالل تلك الفترة الزمنية تتنقل ما بين البحث العلمي من ناحية واإلنجاز الفني من ناحية أخرى، بحيث صار

البحث العلمي في خدمة العمل الفني بشكل واضح، فيما ساعدت الممارسة الفنية على في فهم الكثير من التفاصيل المتعلقة بتطور

الكتابة وأساليب الخط وأعمال الخطاطين.

تعتبر دراستي األكاديمية للخط المحقق التي صدرت في كتاب باللغة Sacred Script: Muhaqqaq In Islamic Calligraphy اإلنجليزية بعنوان

من أهم إنجازاتي األكاديمية والفنية والشخصية. لم تقتصر هذه الدراسة على البحث في موضوع الخط المحقق تاريخا ووظيفة

وتطورا فحسب، بل قدمته كخط فريد ناجح فنيا على شكل أعمال فنية وعمائرية، وذلك بعد غياب دام ألكثر من خمسة قرون. ويتوج هذه

األعمال إصدار أول أمشاق من نوعها للخط المحقق في تاريخ الخط العربي والتي يتزامن إصدارها مع معرضي هذا.

تعكس أعمال هذا المعرض الذي يحمل عنوان )هو( جانبا من خالصة المعرفة األكاديمية والتجارب الفنية التي اكتسبتها على مدى العقود

الثالثة الماضية. وهي تميل بصورة عامة نحو البساطة، مع التركيز على بنية الحرف ذاته إلتاحة الفرصة للمشاهد لالستمتاع بصورة الحرف

المجردة، والتغلغل في ما تحمله من معان سامية ودالالت عميقة، ونسب جمالية عالية، مثلما نرى في األعمال ذات النصوص القصيرة

مثل: )هو(، و)كن(، و)الر حم ن(. وإلى جانب البساطة، فإن العديد من األعمال تقدم معنى النص الذي تحتويه، وذلك إما من خالل ترتيب

كلمات النص وتوزيعها، كما في لوحة )الشهادة( بخطي المحقق الجلي والكوفي المربع، ولوحة )ينقلبون(، ولوحة )عيد(، أو من خالل توظيف

ور(، أو من خالل التضاد في العنصر اللوني، كما في لوحة )إلى النالتفاوت في حجم الكتابة، كما في لوحة )فقير(.

شكلت األعمال النحتية جزءا واضحا من هذا المعرض. فقد بدأت تجربتي النحتية في العام 1999 حين قدمت أول عمل نحتي ميداني

لي بالحجر والفسيفساء بعنوان )عمان(، ثم أتبعته بعمل حجري ميداني آخر بعنوان )أهل العزم(، وكال العملين قائمان حاليا في وسط العاصمة

األردنية. وفي هذا المعرض أقدم ستة أعمال نحتية تتنوع المواد المصنوعة منها ما بين البرونز والرخام والفضة، لكنها تركز جميعا على جمالية الكلمة، وما تحمله من عمق في المعنى والداللة، إلى جانب

التنوع في التصميم مع الحفاظ على متانة بنية الحروف ونسبها البصرية الجميلة.

وإنني من خالل أعمال هذا المعرض أعتبر نفسي واحدا من بين كثيرين عشقوا فن الخط العربي على مر العصور، ال بل وعاشوا له، وأنفقوا

الجهد والوقت والعمر في محبته وخدمته وعمله. فهو يظل فن اإلسالم األول المعبر عن ضمير األمة العربية اإلسالمية وروحها، الذي

تطوف حوله العيون والقلوب واألرواح بكل لهفة وشوق.

نصار منصورممفيس/تينيسي

آذار 2017

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HUWA

‘CALLIGRAPHY IS SENSE AND NOT MEASUREMENTS’ (Nassar)

This is my fourth solo exhibition. My first, about nineteen years ago, was held in the Jordanian National Museum of Fine Arts in Amman in 1998 and was entitled, ‘Ahl al-Bayt’ (The Family of the Prophet). And apart from these four solo exhibitions, I participated along with other artists in a number of others, in many different countries.

The period between that first exhibition and this one represents a big qualitative change and a journey in my understanding of calligraphy, not only at the artistic level, but also at the academic level as well. My studies for my doctorate were the most important waypoint in that journey. My academic work gave me the opportunity to get to know the phases of development in Islamic calligraphy – applied on different materials - since its beginnings. My study also introduced me to the efforts and works of calligraphy masters at different times in history. All that have granted me a deep understanding of calligraphy and its origins, styles and principles, and its eternal horizons. My work in this period moved between academic research on one hand and artistic efforts on the other; in which the scholarly work was clearly great service to my artistic work. On the other side, practicing the art greatly helped my understanding of the details and particularities of the development of scripts, calligraphic styles and the work of the calligraphers of the past.

My academic study of Muhaqqaq which was published as a book in English under the title Sacred Script: Muhaqqaq in Islamic Calligraphy, may be considered one of my most important scholarly, artistic and personal achievements. That study was not limited to research on Muhaqqaq, its history, uses and development. I presented Muhaqqaq as a unique script, artistically successful whether in calligraphic pieces or used in architecture and that is after an absence which

had lasted five centuries. These works culminated in the publication of a book of amshaq (copybook) for Muhaqqaq; the first of its kind in the history of Arabic calligraphy. Its publication is timed to coincide with this exhibition.

The works in this exhibition, entitled ‘He’ (Huwa), represent an aspect of the academic knowledge and artistic experience I have gained over the last three decades. These works incline, generally speaking, towards simplicity and a concentration on the construction of the letter itself so as to give the onlooker the opportunity to enjoy the image of the letter by itself, as well as penetrating the sublime meanings and deep symbolisms, the beautiful proportions, as we may see in pieces which have a short text, like ‘Huwa’, ‘Kun’, and ‘Alif. Lam. Ra, Ha. Mim, Nun’.

In addition to simplicity, several of these pieces present the meaning of the text, either through composition, as in ‘al-Shahada’ (written in Muhaqqaq Jali and Squared Kufic(, in ‘Yanqalibun’ and ‘Eid’, or in the use of counterbalancing opposites in the elements of the composition such as in the piece, ‘Into the Light’, or in the differing sizes of the writing, as in ‘Faqir’.

Sculpture works are a distinct part of this exhibition. My experience with the three dimensional works began in 1999 when I presented my first outdoor work in carved letters, executed in stone and mosaic and titled ‘Amman’. This was followed by another outdoor piece in stone, ‘Ahl al-‘Azm’ (The People of Resolution). Both works now stand in the middle of the Jordanian capital. In this exhibition I present six sculpture works made from different materials, bronze, marble, and silver. All of them concentrate on the beauty of the word and what depth and symbolism its meaning may contain. Beside the

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differences in design, the solidity of the construction of the letter has been maintained as well as its beauty to see proportions.

Through the works for this exhibition, I see myself as one of many who across the centuries have loved the art of Arabic calligraphy. We, indeed, lived for it. We expended our efforts and gave our time and our lives in love for calligraphy and in its service. For calligraphy remains the first art of Islam, expressing the conscience and spirit of Muslims and around this art our eyes, hearts and spirits circle with every longing and yearning.

Nassar MansourMemphis, TennesseeApril 2017

كن 1كوفي

حبر وذهب على ورقKun I

Stylised KuficInk and Gold on Paper

180cm x 91.5cm2017

“If you come from a tradition that has renounced representation in religious context, such as Islam (there are no image in the Koran or in mosque), how do you-how can you-shape that thinking through Art? Nassar Mansour’s Kun shows exactly the same moment of creation as represented in Michelangelo, but graphically. The Qur’an describes the moment of creation as “He said to him, ‘Be!’ and it was.” The artist, instead of showing the event, shows us the Word of the Arabic script itself; Kun is the Arabic for “be”. The creation of humanity. The continuing word. A totally different way of imagining ourselves.”

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum (2002 to 2015)

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كن كوفيبرونزصب وصقل مالين مالينوفKunStylised KuficBronzeCasted by Malin Malinov48.5x19x4.5cm2013

“إن بعض اللوحات القرآنية تبرز لنا جانبا من الوحي ال يملك القدرة على إبرازه إال الخط المحقق، فإننا نستشعر فيه قوة غامرة، مثل

موجة مدية عارمة، أو نهر في حالة فيضان“

مارتن لنجز

“Some Qur’an manuscripts show us an aspect of the Revelation which only Muhaqqaq is capable of portraying. We have an impression of overwhelming power, as of a tidal wave or a river in flood. Especially effective in this respect are the shallow curves below the line; the lack of depth being here made up for by an increase along the dimension of breadth, that is, in the direction of the writing itself, whence the momentum of its horizontal sweep. But, by way of contrast, the alifs rise up above the line each as straight as a minaret; and they and the other towering vertical letters ensure that impetus of movement shall in no sense detract from majesty of movement.”

Martin Lings

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اإلخالص والمعوذتانمحققذهب، حبر وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب ليالي منصورThe last Three Chapters of the Qur’an MuhaqqaqGold, Ink and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Layali Mansour64cm x 46cm (each)2013

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الشهادتان/علي ولي اللهكوفي مربع

ذهب وأكرليك على ورقAl-Shahadatan/Ali Wali Allah

Squared KuficGold and Acrylic on Hard Paper

77cm x 77cm (each)2016

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الشهادتانكوفي مربعذهب وأكرليك على ورقAl-ShahadatanSquared KuficGold and Acrylic on Hard Paper77cm x 77cm2016

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األسماء الحسنىكوفي مربعحبر وذهب على ورق تذهيب هال حياريThe 99 Names of AllahSquared KuficInk and Gold on PaperIllumination by Hala Hiyari87.5cm x 231cm2016

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”أنا بين نفسين“ ثلث جليحبر وذهب على ورق معالج

“Between Two Breaths”Thulth JaliInk and Gold on Treated Paper65cm x 65cm2017

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فقيرمحقق جلي وريحاني

حبر، ذهب وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب هال حياري

Faqir ‘My Lord! I am needy of

whatever good Thou sendest down for me’ Quran 28:24Muhaqqaq Jali and Rayhani

Ink, Gold and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Hala Hiyari

84cm x 52.5cm2016

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الله هومحقق جليذهب، حبر وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب ربا أبو شوشةAllah HuMuhaqqaq JaliGold, Ink and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Ruba abu Shousheh92cm x 64cm2016

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رحمة ربكثلث جليحبر، ذهب وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب ربا أبو شوشةRahmatu Rabbik

“And the mercy of thy Lord is better than (the wealth) that they amass” Quran 43:32Thuluth JaliInk, Gold and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Ruba abu Shousheh23cm x 95cm2016

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عفو كريمثلث جلي

حبر، ذهب وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب ربا أبو شوشةAfuwwun Kareem

“The most Forgiving; the most Generous”Thuluth Jali

Ink, Gold and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Ruba abu Shousheh

23cm x 95cm2016

من سليمانمحقق جليذهب، حبر وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب أمجاد القاسمFrom Sulaiman“Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful” Quran 27:30Muhaqqaq JaliGold, Ink and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Amjad al-Qasim98cm x 78cm2012

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الر حم نمحقق جليحبر، ذهب وغواش على ورقتذهيب رجاء الذيبةAlif. Lam. Ra, Ha. Mim, Nun Muhaqqaq JaliInk, Gold and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Raja’ al-Dheebeh55cm x 60cm 2017

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عيدثلث جلي

حبر وغواش على ورق60cm x 79.5cm

Eid‘Oh Eid, what a state you find us

in!’ Al-Mutanabbi (915-965)Thuluth Jali

Ink and Gouache on Paper60cm x79.5cm

2017

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ينقلبونديواني جليحبر وغواش على ورقYanqalibun (Overturned)!

“And those who do the unjust will come to know by what a (great) reverse they will be overturned!”Qur’an, 26:227Diwani JaliInk and Gouache on Paper77cm x 72cm 2017

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الشهادتانمحقق جليحبر وذهب على ورق معالجAl-ShahadatanMuhaqqaq JaliInk and Gold on Treated Paper35cm x 35cm 2017

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”علي وعلى والدي“ ريحاني ومحقق جليحبر، ذهب وغواش على ورق معالجتذهيب رجاء الذيبةMe and my Parents

“My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves” Quran 27:19Rayhani and Muhaqqaq Jali Ink, Gold and Gouache on Treated PaperIllumination by Raja’ al-Dheebeh90cm x 64cm2016

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إلى النورمحقق جليحبر وذهب على ورق معالجInto the LightMuhaqqaq JaliInk and Gold on Treated Paper55cm x 100cm2012

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”أنا نقطة من غير حبر“كوفي مربعنقش بارز على ورق

“I am an Inkless Dot”Squared KuficBlind Embossing on Paper 137cm x 75cm2017

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كهيعصرخام على خشب تقنية القطع بنفث بالماءKaf-Ha-Ya-’Ain-Sad (Opening of surah Maryam)Marble on Wood StandWaterjet Cutting62cm H2016

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محبة 1فضة على خشب أبونيتنفيذ باسم الرنتيسيMahabba IHandcrafted Sterling Silver on Ebony StandCrafted by Basim Ranteesi18cm H2017

محبة 2فضة على خشب أبونيتنفيذ باسم الرنتيسيMahabba 2Handcrafted Sterling Silver on Ebony StandCrafted by Basim Ranteesi18cm H2017

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هوعلى أسلوب الثلث الجليحبر وذهب على ورقHuwa Stylised Thuluth JaliInk and Gold on Treated Paper102cm x 66.5cm2017

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هو 1على أسلوب الثلث الجليبرونزصب وصقل مالين مالينوفHuwa IStylised Thuluth JaliBronzeCasted by Malin Malinov50cm H2016

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هو 2تكوين حربرونزصب وصقل مالين مالينوفHuwa IIAbstract DesignBronzeCasted by Malin Malinov50cm H2017

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NASSAR MANSOUR, Ph.D.

Master Calligrapher, Manuscript Illuminator, Designer and Professor of Islamic Art/Arabic calligraphy College of Islamic Arts and Architecture, World Islamic Sciences and Education University (W.I.S.E), Amman, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, Wales University, London Born February 2, 1967 in Amman, Jordan

2007 PhD in Islamic Arts, the Art of Islamic Calligraphy, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts (PSTA), Wales University, London, UK.1997 MA in Islamic Arts, Al al-Bayt University, Jordan.1988 BA in Islamic studies, Economics and Statistics, The University of Jordan.2003 Traditional Ijaza in Islamic Calligraphy from the Turkish Master Hasan Çelebi as the first Jordanian to obtain it.

SOLO EXIHIBITIONS1998 Ahl al-Bayt, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman.2005 “Making of the Master”, curated by Nassar Mansour in corporation with Dr Venetia Porter, The British Museum, London.2007 “Muhaqqaq and More”, Arabic Calligraphy Artworks by Nassar Mansour, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts Gallery, London.

SELECTED GROUP EXIHIBITIONS2016 The Human Image: Masterpieces of figurative art from the British Museum, London.2015 Islamic Art Now Contemporary Art of The Middle East, LACMA Museum, LA.2014 “Muhaqqaq Script”, The Dubai Arabic Calligraphy Centre, Dubai.

2013 “Words and Illumination”, Medina Municipality in cooperation with the British Museum, Madina.2013 Illumination: The Light of Tradition, The Gallery at Linlithgow Burgh Halls Scotland.2013 The Ultimate Journey, Knowledge Economic City, Madina.2013 Word, Mandeville Exhibition Space, London.2012 The Ultimate Journey, Dolmabahçe Art Gallery, Istanbul.2012 Beauty and Belief, BYU Museum of Art, Utah. 2010 The Ultimate Journey, curated by Nassar Mansour in corporation with Layan Cultural Foundation, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman.2010 The Future of Tradition-The Tradition of Future,100 Years after the Exhibition “Masterpieces of Muhammadan Art” in Munich, Haus der Kunst, Munich.2009 The 1st International Calligraphy Exhibition”, Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre, Moscow.2008 The 2nd International Calligraphy Exhibition”, Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg.2008 Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East” from the collections of the British Museum, Dubai Financial Centre, Dubai.2006 Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, British Museum, London.2005 A Building Tradition: The Work of The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, The National Building Museum Washington, DC.2004 Arabic Script: Mightier than the Sword, by the Islamic Arts Museum of KL and the British Museum, Kuala Lumpur. 2003 Arabic Script: Mightier than the Sword”, from the collections of the British Museum, Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne, Australia.

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MEMBERSHIPS• Founding member of the Institute of Traditional Islamic Arts, al-Balqa› Applied University, Salt, Jordan.• The Islamic Manuscript Association (TIMA), Cambridge.• Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA).• The Scientific Research Council, W.I.S.E University, Amman.• The Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Contemporary Arab Art, Yarmouk University, Jordan.• The Scientific committee of the International Conference on The Holy Qur’an and its Status in the Islamic Civilization, W.I.S.E University, Amman.

• The Jordanian Writers Union.• External peer reviewer in the Jordan Journal for History and Archaeology, (JJHA), University of Jordan, Amman.• External peer reviewer in the Jordanian Journal of Arts (JJA), Yarmouk University, Jordan.• Founding member of the Lovers of Arabic Calligraphy Association, Amman.• The Jordanian Plastic Artist Association.

SELECTED PUBLIC COMISSIONS2012 The Inscriptions of al-Risala Mosque, Amman.2003 The Inscriptions of the Arab Army Martyrs Mausoleum, Irbid, Jordan.2002 The Statue of ‘Ahl al-‘Azm, stone, Amman.2000 The Statue of Jordan Radio and Television Corporation, stone, Amman.1998 The Statue of Amman, stone and mosaic, Amman.1998 The Architectural Inscriptions and Ornamentations of al-Balqa’ Applied University Gate, Salt, Jordan.

1996-99 Designing the Calligraphy Inscriptions and Ornamentations of the Project of Rebuilding the Twelfth-Century Saladin›s Pulpit (minbar) at al-Aqsa Mosque/ Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 1969, Salt, Jordan.1995-2000 Designing the Calligraphy and Ornamentations of the Jordanian Currency, Coins and Banknotes, Central Bank of Jordan, Amman.

PUBLICATIONSBOOKS

2017 Amshaq al-Khatt al-Muhaqqaq, The First Amshaq of its Kind in the History of Arabic Calligraphy, (in Arabic, English, Turkish and Persian), (The Royal Documentation Centre, Amman).2011 Sacred Script; Muhaqqaq in Islamic Calligraphy, (in English), (I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd, London, New York).2000 Al-Ijaza fi Fann al-Khatt al-‘Arabi, (in Arabic), (Dar Majdalawi for Publishing and Distribution. Amman).

CHAPTERS IN BOOKS2013 “Arabic Calligraphy”, Arts and Crafts of the Islamic Lands, ed. Khaled Azzam, (in English), (Thames and Hudson, London, New York).2013 “The Role of Muhaqqaq Script in Copying the Qur’anic Manuscripts”, (in Arabic), Researches and Studies Dedicated to Muhammad Adnan al-Bakhit on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday, ed. Mohammad A. Khuraisat,(University of Jordan, Amman), 371-420.2006 “Arabic Calligraphy”, The Complete Guide To Calligraphy, (in English), (CICO Books, London, New York, 2006): 164-179.2006 “The Tradition of Ijaza in Arabic Calligraphy”, (in Arabic), “Studies in the History of Damascus in Honour of Yusuf Ibish, ed. Muhammad Adnan al-Bakheit, (Al-Furqan Foundation for Islamic Heritage, London), 359-416.

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ACADEMIC ARTICLES2013 “The Inscriptions of King Abdullah I Mosque and their Relationship with the Place” (in Arabic), Jordan Journal of Arts): 379-392. 2013 “Nasta›liq Script, the Historic Roots and Artistic Characteristics” (in Arabic), Jordan Journal of Arts, 259-278.2011/2012 “The Inscriptions of al-Aqsa Mosque Minbar (Pulpit), and its Historical and Artistic Significance“ )in Arabic(, Journal of the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University,16.2012 With others, “Natural Stone in Jordan: Characteristics, Specifications and Importance in Interior Architecture” (in English), American Journal of Scientific Research, 82, 83-94.2012 “A Unique Qur’an Manuscript Copied by Abdullah al-Sayrafi )D. after 746H/1345-6AC(; The Artistic Features of the Calligraphy of Abdullah al- Sayrafi:An Analytical Study“)in Arabic(, Jordan Journal of History and Archaeology, 6/1: 78-104.2009 “Unique Arabic Manuscript Copied by Yaqut al-Nouri al-Mousili )D. 618H/1221AC(; Analytical Study of the Artistic Features of Yaqut al- Mousili’s Style in Calligraphy” (in Arabic),Jordan Journal of History and Archaeology, 3/3:1-32.

LECTURES, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES 2017 “Classification of Scripts used in Arabic Manuscripts” (in Arabic), Course at the Alexandria Library, Alexandria, Egypt.2016 “Muhaqqaq: Furthering the Aesthetic of Faith” (in English), Lecture at Royal Asiatic Society, London, UK.2016 “Islamic Calligraphy; Art and Practice” (in English), Lecture at Asia House, London, UK.2016 “The Role of the Arabic Calligraphy in the Copying of Qur›an Manuscripts” (in English), Lecture at Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, Tennessee.

2015 “The Historical Role of the Muhaqqaq Script in the Copying of Qur›an Manuscripts” (in English), Lecture at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California.2015 “Muhaqqaq Across Time” (in Arabic), Center for Calligraphy Studies, Lecture at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandrina.2015 “Calligraphers Lost In History” (in Arabic), 10th Seminar of Arabic Calligraphy: Improving The Artistic Standards of Arabic Calligraphy, The Dubai Arabic Calligraphy Centre, Dubai.2014 “Arabic Calligraphy, History and Identity” (in Arabic), lecture on the occasion of World Arabic Language Day, 18 December 2014, College of Traditional Islamic Arts and Architecture, W.I.S.E University, Amman.2014 “Muhaqqaq Across Time” (in Arabic), 9th Seminar of Arabic Calligraphy: Muhaqqaq Script, Dubai Arabic Calligraphy Centre, Dubai.2014 “Muhaqqaq Script and It’s Role In Copying The Qur’anic Manuscripts” (in Arabic), lecture at the event of Celebrating the Recent Inscription of The Mamluk Qur›an Manuscripts of Dar al-Kutub in UNESCO›s Memory of the World Register,Museum of Dar al Kutub, Bab al-Khalq, Cairo.2012 “The Revival of The Tradition, College of Islamic Arts in Amman: a Case of Success” (in Arabic), Sharjah Islamic Art Festival, 15th Seminar of Contemporary Islamic Art, Sharjah. 2011 “Muhaqqaq Script and Its Role In Copying The Qur’anic Manuscripts” (in Arabic), 1stInternational Conference on The Holy Qur’an and its Status in the Islamic Civilization, W.I.S.E University, Amman.

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2010 “Ibn al-Bawwab and His Unique Manuscript, The Diwan of Salama Ibn Jandal: A Study of the Artistic Way of Ibn al-Bawwab in Calligraphy” (in Arabic). 7th International Conference on Contemporary Arab Art, Yarmouk University, Jordan.2009 Tow lectures on: “History and Development of Islamic Calligraphy”, and “Qur›an Manuscripts:Calligraphy Styles and Illumination” (in Arabic), 8thTraining Course on Cataloguing, under the title: “Training Course on Cataloguing the Palestinian Manuscripts, Documents, Legal Records and Ottoman Administrative Papers (Defters)”,al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation collaboration with the Centre for Documents, Manuscripts and Bilad al-Sham Studies, University of Jordan.2008 “The Arabic Inscriptions on Al-Aqsa Mosque Minbar in Jerusalem” (in Arabic), A seminar on “Arab Identity of Jerusalem”, University of Philadelphia, in collaboration with The General Islamic Congress for Jerusalem, Amman.2008 “The Concept of Love in Arabic Calligraphy Panels” (in Arabic), 13th International Conference on “Culture of Love and Hate”, Philadelphia University, Amman.2008 “Making the Calligraphy Pen” (in English), Lecture followed by a demonstration at the 1stInternational Exhibition of Calligraphy, St. Petersburg.2004 “Islamic Calligraphy” (in English), “The Shakespeare and Islam”, Shakespeare Globe, London.1998 “The Calligrapher›s Signature” (in Arabic), 4th International Festival of Arabic Calligraphy and Islamic Ornament, Baghdad.1997 “Al-Hilya al-Sharifa, Textual and Artistic Study” (in Arabic),1st Islamic World Calligraphy Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran

ART ACTIVITES Participated in many national and international calligraphy activities, including exhibitions, workshops, talks and many more took place in Arab world, Europe, America, Canada, Australia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia and Japan.Artworks are of the permanent collection at the: British Museum, London, The Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow, Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, The Aga Khan Museum, Toronto and many international private collections.

SELECTED PRIVATE COMISSIONS2006 Royal Enamelled Crescents Silver Fountain Pens, on the occasion of opening “The Ultimate Journey” exhibition, Jeddah.2005 The Royal Family Tree of King Abdullah II, Raghadan Palace, Amman.2005 Arabic Calligraphy Designs for a Complete Royal Dinnerware Range, Commissioned for the Prince of Wales, London.2004-05 Interior Inscriptions and Ornamentations of Beit al-Urdun; The Private Residence of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania al-Abdullah, Amman.2003 The Royal Monogram of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan.2002 The Inscriptionsof the Royal Cemetery, the Royal Court Compound, Amman.2000 The Inscriptions of Late King HusseinTomb, the Royal Court Compound, Amman.1999 Designing the logo of Amman Arab University, Amman.1994 Designing the logo of Al al-Bayt University, Jordan.1991 Designing the logo of Jordan University for Women (currently University of Petra), Amman.

The Gate Village Bldg. 3, Level 2,Dubai International Financial CentreTel. +971 (4) 323 0820 Fax: +971 (4) 323 0821info@artspace-dubai.com www.artspace-dubai.com

©Dr. Nassar Mansournassarmansour@hotmail.comwww.facebook.com/NassarM/Design: Dr. Arafat Al-Naim