Rating and value of sculptures and bronzes by Moustapha Ali

If you own a work by or after Moustapha Ali, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with an accurate estimate of its value on the current market.

Then, should you wish to sell your work, we'll direct you to the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price. 

Rating and value of Moustapha Ali's works     

Moustapha Ali is a Syrian artist who has produced unique sculptures. Now, prices for these creations can rise considerably under the auctioneer's hammer. His sculptures are particularly prized, by buyers from all over the world.

The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €18,800 to €27,000, at the moment, a consequent gap but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to Moustapha Ali's works.

In 2011, his untitled gilt bronze from 2010 was sold for €27,400, originally estimated at between €29,000 and €43,000.

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

Style and technique of the artist Moustapha Ali

Moustapha Ali is a contemporary sculptor born in 1956, who places his work in a dialogue between ancient Syrian traditions (Assyria, Palmyra, the Levant) and international modernist language. His aesthetic is based on monumentality, purity, verticality and hieratic presence.

His iconographic repertoire focuses on the human figure, reduced to essential lines, often verging on symbolic abstraction. His figures are lanky, stretched, stylized and evocative of archaeological silhouettes or primitive idols.

He creates a deliberate break between full and empty, with a structuring use of openings, apertures and interstices that give rhythm to the form. His heads are simplified with an absence of detail, smooth or geometric ovals and ideogrammatic treatment.

His recurring motifs are couples, maternities, guardians, ritual figures and anthropomorphized columns. He makes explicit references to basalt sculptures and votive idols from the Levant. Moustapha Ali is influenced by Palmyrene sculptures, anthropomorphic stelae and funerary figures.

He incorporates graphic signs or engravings inspired by ancient writing. Sobriety is deliberate, with an absence of direct facial or emotional expression. Strength is contained in verticality, immobility and totemic character. The atmosphere is meditative, with works conceived as protective presences.

He constructs his works by subtraction, with a gradual withdrawal of material to make the figure emerge. Surfaces are left deliberately irregular (striations, tool marks, rough textures accentuating the archaic character).

Finishings are minimalist with partial polishing and contrasts between smooth and rough areas. Volumes are massive yet slender, with a static balance porch votive sculptures. His figures are conceived as archetypes.

His style is close to Mahmoud Mokhtar, Egyptian sculptor, but also to Giacometti for slenderness and Brancusi for essentialization. He is internationally recognized for his immediately identifiable sculptural language: monumental slenderness, refined symbolism, expressive materiality.

Moustapha Ali's career

Moustapha Ali was born in 1956 in Lattakié (Syria), a port city marked by a long tradition of Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures. He grew up in an environment where vernacular architecture, local stone textures and archaeological remains nurtured his plastic sensibility.

He studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Damascus, where he specialized in sculpture, and acquired solid technical training in the direct carving of wood, stone and basalt. His training was characterized by a combination of academic instruction and observation of ancient Syrian remains (Palmyra, Ugarit, Ebla).

Beginning in the 1980s, he began exhibiting in Damascus at national fairs. His first works already revealed the vertical lines, slender silhouettes and monumentality that were to become his signature.

He quickly established himself among the young generation of Syrian artists seeking to renew sculpture while claiming a cultural heritage of their own. In the 1990s, he set up his studio in Damascus, which has become one of the reference points for contemporary Syrian sculpture.

He takes part in numerous exhibitions in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States. He represents Syria at various international biennials, such as in Cairo and Sharjah. Several galleries in Europe value his approach blending archaeology and abstraction.

His work also circulates in institutions and private collections in the Middle East, Europe and North America. He is a central figure in modern Syrian sculpture, alongside Fateh Moudarres (painter) and Sabhan Adam (contemporary expressionism).

Moustapha Ali stands out as the representative of a modernism rooted in Syrian identity, founded on the permanence of archaic forms. The collapse of Syrian heritage between 2011 and 2025 reinforces his determination to preserve the country's material and spiritual memory through sculpture.

He is now considered one of the most important sculptors of the contemporary Levant. His works can be found in numerous collections in the Middle East and Europe.

Market segmentation and the artist's rating

The artist's monumental sculptures in solid wood, basalt, volcanic stone and bronze constitute a rare and highly sought-after segment for institutions, cultural hotels, private foundations in the Gulf and major Middle Eastern collections.

Medium-sized sculptures (60 - 120 cm) form part of the most liquid segment, with vertical silhouettes, totemic figures and stylized couples in wood, basalt, bronze and marble. Smaller formats and bronze editions are more accessible, destined for the international market and private European collections.

They are reduced reproductions, but faithful to his formal vocabulary. Preparatory drawings and studies are not very present on the market and constitute a fairly confidential segment. The main market is in the Middle East, with numerous institutional acquisitions.

Europe is a secondary market (France, Germany, Italy) with galleries active in contemporary Levantine sculpture. There is growing interest in the United States for contemporary Middle Eastern artists at fairs and curatorial sales.

Liquidity is very good for medium-sized sculptures in wood or stone, representative of the totemic style. It is good for limited edition bronzes, selective for his experimental or very small works that are less emblematic of his vocabulary, and excellent for his monumental pieces.

Moustapha Ali's quotation is sustained, with potential for continued progression, particularly as the Syrian scene becomes more documented and exhibited. 

Recognizing Moustapha Ali's signature    

Moustapha Ali doesn't always sign his works. If you think you own one, it's best to have it appraised.

Expertise your property

If you own a work by Moustapha Ali, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal by filling in our online form.

A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you to provide an estimate of the market value of your work.

If you are considering selling your work, our specialists will also guide you through the various alternatives available to obtain the best possible price, taking into account market trends and the specific features of each work.