Pioneers of Egyptian plastic art: luminous signs in the global auction market

CAIRO – 22 March 2022: The paintings of many Egyptian artists were sold at international auctions, including artworks for Gazbia Sirry, Salah Taher, Mahmoud Saeed, Hamed Nada and other painters and plastic artists. Their paintings have registered sales at high prices and have been well appreciated by international auctions during the past years.

"The Happy Island" by Mahmoud Saeed

Mahmoud Saeed's painting “The Happy Island”:

Bonhams sold Mahmoud Saeed's 1927 painting "The Happy Island" in 2019 in an auction that included a number of paintings by Middle Eastern painters. This painting was presented as a gift to the artist Jean Nicolaides in 1930, and was inherited by the Nicolaides family residing in Athens. This painting sold for £1,202,500, equivalent to LE20 million.

"The Unemployed" by Mahmoud Saeed

Mahmoud Saeed's painting "The Unemployed": 

“The Unemployed” was sold at a Bonhams auction for LE25 million, which is three times the amount estimated for it in November 2020. This painting was previously displayed in the Louvre Museum. 

"Untitled" by Salah Taher

“Untitled” for Salah Taher:

Salah Taher painted the "Untitled" with oil on paper in 1977. It was put up for sale at a Sotheby's in 2021 and its price was estimated between £6,000 and £8,000. That is approximately LE150,000.

"The Innocents" by Gazebia Sirry

Gazebia Sirry’s painting “The Innocents”:

In 2021, Sotheby's auction house put on sale “The Innocents", painted using ores of oil on canvas, at a price ranging between £12,000 and 18,000, or more than LE300,000.