Lot 58

Sharhabil Ahmed (Sudanese, born 1935)
Your Cousin from Bahrain (from his song of the same name), 2016
Signed ‘Signature 2016’ (lower left)
Graphite on paper
27.5 x 19 cm
KES 270,000 – 370,000
(US$) 2,000 – 2,800
Provenance: Private collection

Born in Omdurman in 1935 and growing up mostly in El-Obeid in Kurdufan, Sharhabil Ahmed was exposed to a variety of genres of music and foreign films, inspiring him to pick up his first instrument, the oud. Ahmed mastered a wide variety of instruments through the years, including the oud, Ahmed went on to join Sudan Radio’s orchestra playing the violin and later a western band playing the guitar. Musically Ahmed is most lauded for his innovation and experimentation in music, earning him the title of Sudan’s King of Jazz.

Encouraged by the Sudanese artist and his friend, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Ahmed attended the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Khartoum after school, and began his dual career as artist and musician. Sharhabil Ahmed trained as a graphic designer, and worked as an illustrator at the Ministry of Education, developing and creating a variety of characters, most notably the famous Amak (Uncle) Tangu in Al-Sibyan, the popular children’s magazine, and Maryud and Jiljil in the magazine Maryud.

Ahmed, also an acclaimed musician, titled this work after his popular song Your Cousin from Bahrain. The piece carries the same playful yet alluring spirit as the music it references.