The greatest modern art museum in Tunisia is located in Hammamet. It is the hotel Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa.
The hotel’s owner has accumulated a collection of more than 2,000 works. Many of them are displayed in the different areas of this luxury hotel.
Tunisian painters from the 20th century
The collection includes famous Tunisian painters from the 20th century like Aly Ben Salem and his unique poetic universe; Nejib Belkhodja, obsessed with elementary shapes of the architecture of medinas; Ridha Bettaïeb and his bright colours at the edge of abstraction; Adel Megdiche, inspired by ancient reverse glass paintings; Abderrazak Sahli and his vibrant, cheerful and colourful compositions.
Contemporary artists from Tunisia, Iraq, Morocco or Algeria are also represented: Dhia Azzaoui, Hassene Amraoui, Mohamed Nabili and many others.
Even the thalassotherapy centre is adorned with reproductions of works by great European painters.
Exhibitions and symposiums
On the ground floor, an exhibition gallery presents thematic itineraries. Exhibitions, symposiums and artists’ residencies make this unique collection come alive.
The works gathered in the Hasdrubal collection reflect the history of Tunisian painting since the early 20th century. It is able to reflect the path of great artists like Aly Ben Salem or Ridha Bettaïeb.
Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa Hammamet regularly takes part in exhibitions, for example for the Maghreb-Orient des Livres book fair in Paris and the inauguration of the city museum of Tunis, Palais Kheireddine, in 1999.
It also fosters the collection by organizing symposiums and artists’ residencies, thereby contributing to Tunisia’s artistic life.
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