Remembering Dedicated NYFA Patron Basil Alkazzi

Alkazzi, who gave generously to NYFA, was a world-renowned metaphysical artist, philanthropist, and benefactor of the arts.

We are saddened to share that Basil Alkazzi, metaphysical artist, philanthropist, and benefactor of the arts, passed away in Monaco in June 2025 at the age of 89. A prolific and tireless artist, Alkazzi’s distinguished career spanned six decades. Admired by academics and critics such as Donald Kuspit, former NYFA Board Chair Judith K. Brodsky, and Dennis Wepman, Alkazzi’s art is characterised by spiritual yearning and an aspiration to transcend this world. 

In addition to providing NYFA with funds to help NYFA operate, Alkazzi established The Basil H. Alkazzi Award for Excellence in Painting (ran for 3 years) and The Basil Alkazzi Award for an Artist in Residence at Wayne State University (ran for 2 years); in addition to funding fellowships for visual artists and sponsored tables at NYFA galas so that artists could attend for free.

Judith K. Brodsky worked closely with Alkazzi to arrange a traveling exhibition and related publication in celebration of his 75th birthday on behalf of NYFA. Of Alkazzi, she said “Basil represented the best that a human being can be. He was intelligent, creative, world-knowledgeable, and so caring. He was elegant in the way he used works and elegant in his art, making art that was personal, beautiful, and incredibly skillful. His paintings transcend language and strike chords with one’s deepest and most spiritual sensibilities.”

Encompassing myriad themes and styles, Alkazzi’s oeuvre is underlined by a deep interest in spirituality. Alkazzi was an artist who persevered against the art establishment’s expectations; resolutely himself and dedicated to his own tastes and ideas, Alkazzi inexhaustibly sought to create artwork which was distinctly his own, influenced by his psyche and otherworldly dreams. The many monographs concerning Alkazzi often refer to Freud and Jung, with Alkazzi describing himself as a spiritualist. 

Admired and collected internationally, Alkazzi’s art is housed in international collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The National Council, Kuwait, The National Museum, Gdansk and The Royal College of Art, London. 

In addition to his generosity to NYFA, Alkazzi established the Basil H. Alkazzi Foundation, awarding scholarships to young artists at the Royal College of Art, as well as the Basil H. Alkazzi Award for young, emerging U.S. artists and The Ali H. Alkazzi Scholarship Award. He also donated $1 million to the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens for the acquisition of contemporary British and American art. 

Alkazzi is survived by an extensive and prominent artistic family, notably his niece and nephew, the children of Ebrahim Alkazi: Amal Allana, a prominent theatre director, scenic designer, and costume designer; and Faisal Alkazi, a theater director and specialist in education and the theatrical arts. 

For more information, please contact the Artist’s Estate of Basil Alkazzi at [email protected].