Gamal Abdel Nasser, from the Ocean to the Gulf

A pioneering figure in the modern art movement in the Gulf Peninsula, Khalifa al-Qattan produced an oeuvre which explores spirituality, identity, and sociopolitical themes. In the painting Gamal Abdel Nasser, from the Ocean to the Gulf, the Kuwaiti artist portrayed the figure of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser who established the political union between Egypt and Syria called the United Arab Republic in 1958. The UAR served as a political response to colonial Western powers based on the pan-Arab ideology, which expanded from West Asia to North Africa.