The Egyptian School of Fine Arts
The Egyptian School of Fine Arts [Madrassat al-Funun al-Jamila al-Misriyya] opened its doors on 13 May 1908, a date cited by many art historians as…
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Modernism in the Middle East and Arab World
Exploring modernity and its intellectual trends in the Middle East is a very fitting endeavour, as ‘Middle East’ itself is a ‘modern’ term which has…
Cubism [REVISED AND EXPANDED]
Cubism is an art movement that emerged in Paris during the first decade of the 20th century. It was a key movement in the birth…
Photography
Symbolism Overview
Symbolism is a late-nineteenth-century literary movement centred mostly around the work of poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Philippe Villiers de L’Isle-Adam,…
Surrealism Overview
Soupault’s publication of Manifeste du Surréalism in 1924. Rising in the wake of the First World War, Surrealism revolted against a world that had become…
Al-Tahtawi, Rifa’a (1801–1873)
Rifa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi was an Egyptian reformer and thinker who is widely recognised as the pioneer of the Egyptian ‘Awakening’ (nahda) in the 19th century.…
Henein, Georges (1914–1973)
The son of an Egyptian diplomat and Italian-Egyptian mother, surrealist writer Georges Henein spent his childhood between Cairo, Madrid, Rome, and Paris. It was in…
El Guindi, Yussef (1960–)
Yussef El Guindi is an Egyptian/Arab-American playwright. He was born in Egypt, educated in London, and is currently a resident of Seattle, USA. He received…
Owais, Hamed (1919–2011)
Born in Beni Soueif, Egypt, Hamed Owais is one of the leading painters of Egyptian social realism. He was a partisan of the ideals of…
Rifaat, Alifa (1930–1996)
Fatimah Abdullah Rifaat, born in Cairo on 5 June 1930, belonged to an Egyptian family of Turkish origin. She began to write in her youth,…
Ayad, Ragheb (1892–1982)
Born into a Coptic family in one of Cairo’s popular neighborhoods, Ragheb Ayad is a prominent member of a generation of Egyptian artists known as…
Wanly, Seif (1906–1979)
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Seif Wanly is a leading figure of Egyptian modern art. Together with his younger brother, Adham Wanly, he was among the…
Osman, Ahmad (1907–1970)
Ahmad Osman was a prominent Egyptian sculptor and decorator. He studied at the School of Decorative Arts in Cairo under the English painter and decorator…
Kamel, Youssef (1891–1971)
Youssef Kamel is an Egyptian painter renowned for his impressionist landscapes of the countryside and views of medieval Cairo. As one of the leading figures…
Abdel Sabour, Salah (1931–1981)
Salah Abdel Sabour (also Abd-al Sabur) is an Egyptian writer, poet, and playwright. He is considered a pioneer of modern Arabic poetry and a prominent…
Mostafa, Kamel (1917–1982)
Kamel Mostafa was an Egyptian impressionist painter recognized for his soft oil paint scenes depicting daily life in Egypt. He began his studies at the…
Nada, Hamid (1924–1990)
Born in the popular neighbourhood of Khalifa in Cairo, Egypt, Hamid Nada is one of the leading figures of Egyptian modern art. He was one…
Wanly, Adham (1908–1959)
Born in the neighborhood of Muharram Bey in Alexandria, Egypt, Adham Wanly is a leading figure of Egyptian modern painting. In 1929, together with his…
Sabbagh, Georges (1887–1951)
Born into a family of Syro-Lebanese origin in Alexandria, Egypt, Georges Sabbagh is an Egyptian painter of the École de Paris. He started painting at…
Castel-Bloom, Orly (1960--)
Born in Tel Aviv to Egyptian Jewish parents, the Hebrew author Orly Castel-Bloom studied film at the prestigious Beit-Zvi Institute and at Tel Aviv University…
El Saadawi, Nawal (1931–)
Nawal El Saadawi is a renowned Egyptian writer, novelist, feminist activist, political dissident, physician, and psychiatrist. The main theme of her work is the suppression…
Said, Mahmoud (1897–1964)
Said’s vibrant canvases portray nude Egyptian women, stylized Lebanese landscapes, and glamorous Alexandrian aristocrats. Born in 1897 in Alexandria to a prominent, landowning family, his…
El-Sigini, Gamal (1917–1977)
Gamal el-Sigini is a prominent Egyptian artist, best known for his sculptures and metal work. He is renowned for representing powerful patriotic subjects by using…
Sirry, Gazbia (1925--)
Gazbia Sirry is an Egyptian painter. Throughout her sixty-year career, Sirry responded to political, social, and artistic shifts in Egypt. She is well respected for…