Halim at the Library
Earlier this month, the art gallery at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosted selected artworks by the distinguished artist Tahiya Halim (1919 – 2003), one of the foremost of modern Egyptian artists. Halim’s travels to France, Denmark and Greece, as well as Nubia, the Egyptian oases and rural areas, enriched her artistic character, which tended to expressionism with the use of bright, vivid colour. The picture accompanying this article was among the ones shown at the exhibition.
Dancing rhythms
The Safar Khan Art Gallery in Zamalek, Cairo, is hosting the latest paintings by the veteran artist Ihab Shaker. The 35 paintings, which are unmistakably inspired by folkloric stories, feature a spontaneous and childlike touch with bright colours. Contemplating Shaker’s paintings, the viewer feels a dynamic figuration as if they are dancing, as is masterfully depicted in The Apple Seller; Clown; Wedding and Playing Music. He is perhaps more inspired by the audible than the visual, attempting to turn melodies into their visible equivalence.
Born in 1933, Shaker received his first lesson in art when he was still a boy under the Italian professor Carlo Mlinoti. He joined the Leonardo Da Vinci School and graduated from the faculty of plastic arts in 1957.
The exhibition runs until early April.
Moment of escape
Samir Fouad is holding his latest exhibition, “Moment of Escape”, at the Picasso Art Gallery in Zamalek Cairo. The paintings on display—oil and watercolour—tackle the human condition through everyday life
Samir Fouad was born in Heliopolis, Cairo, in 1944 and brought up in an art-loving environment, which influenced his abilities. Although he graduated from Cairo University in 1966 as an engineer, and since then has worked in the computer field, his love of art has not subsided, especially his passion for watercolours. He continued to be self-taught by reading and visiting galleries and museums, particularly in England, which he visited frequently as a computer professional. During this period he was greatly influenced by Turner and Russell. Samir Fouad has been actively participating as a professional artist in the Egyptian art movement since 1984, and his work in watercolours is considered outstanding.
60 years of creation
The veteran Egyptian artist Omar al-Nagdi has been honoured for his life-time achievement by an exhibition at the Faculty of Applied Arts. Nagdi’s work of 60 years includes both sculpture and painting, yet he is more prolific in painting.
First memory
To honour the sculptor Mohamed Rizq (1937 – 2008) one year after his death, the Egyptian Centre for International Cultural Cooperation in Zamalek, Cairo, is holding an exhibition this month to display his distinguished brass sculptures: the horse, peasants and the rabab player.
Wooden sculptures
At the art gallery attached to the Alexandria Centre for Creation, sculptor Tareq Zabadi is holding an exhibition of his recent wooden sculptures. The 30 pieces are masterfully carved in Zabadi’s prominent style—a characteristic abstract realism.
