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Place Des Martyrs

In a street scene two men carrying large baskets on their backs, each occupied by a scantily clad woman; man in suit and fez gestures to them.QL0w.jpg

Place des Martyrs, Untitled, 1974,

17 in x 22 in, Watercolor on paper

A series of over 300 works created by Nabil Kanso between 1971 to 1974. Kanso completed the series in New York and Beirut, based on the red-light district adjoining Beirut’s el Bourj (Al Burj) district, also known as Place des Canons, named after the cannons placed there by the Ottoman, and renamed Martyrs Place (Place des Martyrs in French) to commemorate the hanging of a number of Arab nationalists who sought independence from Ottoman tyranny.

 

The works in this series depict life in and around el Bourj and offer an intimate view of street scenes and encounters between men and women.

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