Bassam Freiha Art Foundation

Etienne Dinet

Talkative Children in Bou Saada

Jean Léon Gérôme

The Harem boat trip

Jean Léon Gérôme

Young Oriental with nargile

Jacques Majorelle

Sheep market

Constructing the Orient Fragments of a Western Dream brings together artworks from Bassam Freiha Collection alongside key loans from Galerie Ary Jan in Paris. Together, these two sources create a dialogue that allows the exhibition to examine how Orientalist painting was shaped by recurring archetypes and Western imagination. Seen side by side, the works offer visitors a rare opportunity to reflect on both the artistic fascination with the «Orient» and the cultural narratives that continue to resonate today.

Organized into five thematic sections, the exhibition unpacks recurring Orientalist motifs. The Secluded World examines interiors, harems, and private spaces, while The Public Stage turns to marketplaces, street life, and performances. Spectacle of Seduction considers the allure of the dancer and the musician, and Archetypes of Women reflects on figures such as the mother, the muse, and the odalisque. Finally, Archetypes of Men presents the Bedouin, the scholar, and the warrior as central images of the Western imagination.

By placing these works within a critical framework, Constructing the Orient invites viewers to look beyond the surface beauty of the paintings and to question the cultural narratives embedded within them.