Mahmoud Mukhtar (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: محمود مختار) (May 10, 1891 – March 28, 1934) was an Egyptian sculptor. He attended the
College of Fine Arts in Cairo upon its opening in 1908 by Prince Yusuf Kamal, and was part of the original "Pioneers" of the Egyptian Art movement. Despite his early death, he greatly impacted the realization and formation of contemporary Egyptian art. His work is credited with signaling the beginning of the Egyptian modernist movement, and he is often referred to as the father of modern Egyptian sculpture.
History
Born in the Nile Delta in a small village called Douar skouila, in the region of
Mahalla al-Kubra, in the village of Tanbara, where his father was the mayor ('Omda). Mukhtar moved to
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
as a child with his mother, and in 1908 joined the newly founded Egyptian School of Fine Arts.
In 1912, he joined the studio of
Jules Coutan at the École des
Beaux-Arts in Paris. He stayed in Paris through
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, eventually becoming employed at the
Musée Grévin
The ' (; ) () is a wax museum located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. The also has a location in Seoul. opened in 2013, and closed in 2021.
History
The museum was founded in 1882 by ...
under the direction of his former teacher Guillaume Laplagne. Inspired by the
Egyptian Revolution of 1919, he sculpted a small maquette of a work called "Nahdat Misr"
Egypt's Awakening" or "Egypt's Renaissance" in English Gaining attention of young Egyptian revolutionaries, a national campaign to erect a monumental version was begun, resulting in an unveiling ceremony of the work in Cairo's Bab al-Hadid Square outside Cairo's main train station. The statue was later moved to a location outside
Cairo University
Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...
.
Museum
The
Mukhtar Museum in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
houses Mahmoud Mokhtar's works in various media.
Legacy
A
Google Doodle on 10 May 2012 commemorated Mokhtar's 121st birth anniversary.
References
Dietrich, Linnea S. "Huda Lutfi: A Contemporary Artist in Egypt" Woman's Art Journal. Vol. 21. No. 2. (Autumn 2000–Winter 2001), pp 12–15.
Alex Dika Seggerman, “Mahmoud Mukhtar’s Khamasin: Sculpture in Modern Egypt,” ''Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online'', published 28 August 2020.https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/khamseen/topics/2020/mahmoud-mukhtars-khamasin/
External links
Al-Ahram Weekly: "Mahmoud Mokhta, Short-changed by history"Saad Zaghloul Statuesmokhtar's meusium at Egyptian fine arts sectorMahmoud Mokhtar full biography on Egyptian fin arts sector
Biography of Mahmoud Mukhtar
on th
Mathaf Encyclopedia of Modern Arab Art and the Arab World
Artists from Cairo
1891 births
1934 deaths
20th-century Egyptian sculptors
{{Egypt-bio-stub