Nazem Al Jaafari
Nazem Al Jaafari (Arabic: ناظم الجعفري) (born in 1918 in Damascus, Syria) is considered the founder of impressionism in Syria. One of his greatest achievements as an artist is the documentation of the old quarters of Damascus as it existed at the turn of the twentieth century including lifestyles, designs, and fashion.
His body of work consists of over 7000 drawings — all still part of the artist’s collection as he rarely sells his work.
Nazem Al Jaafari was one of the pioneer impressionists of Syrian painting. Impressionism remained the most popular style in Syria both before and after the Second World War. Al Jaafari was a recluse and seldom sold any of his work because he was hoping the state would build a museum devoted to him.
