Gamal El-Sagini's Retrospective Opens Sunday

CAIRO - 22 April 2017: Gamal El-Sagini was an artist who was enamored by his country and to commemorate his brilliant career, Zamalek Art Gallery will be hosting a retrospective of his works on Sunday.

The exhibition will be attended by Sagini’s son, Magd, and will feature a series of paintings depicting arousit el-moulid candy dolls that portray Sagini’s love for local culture.

“Each painting documents an important event in Egypt’s modern-day history, starting from the war in 1967 (El Naksa), and ending with the liberation of Sinai in 1976. The moulid doll suffers many ailments in these paintings, and yet, despite the sadness felt in the broken or even hanged body of each doll, she remains colorful and beautiful. To Sagini, these candy dolls are Egypt: A survivor in vibrant colors despite the tragedies it has been through,” according to Zamalek Art Gallery.

Zamalek Art Gallery also sheds light on the iconic statue of diva Um Kulthoum crafted by Sagini. “Um Kulthum's music is felt through her inimitable voice, as one could hear her music through Gamal's unique vision of the world-renowned singer, or in the words of the writer Tharwat Okasha, ‘The eye listens and the ear sees,’” according to the gallery’s Facebook page.


Courtesy of Zamalek Art Gallery
Gamal El-Sagini is hailed as the successor to the legendary Mahmoud Mokhtar, and his sculptures are appreciated worldwide. Of his most famous pieces is the statue of the Prince of Poets, Ahmed Shawky, currently residing at the gardens of the gorgeous Villa Borghese in Rome, where the works of Masters such Bernini, Titian and Caravaggio call home.


Courtesy of Zamalek Art Gallery