George Bahgoury
Encyclopedia
George Abdel Masih Al Bahgoury or George Bahgoury جورج البهجورى is an Egyptian
-French
painter
.
, Upper Egypt
in 1932. In 1955, he studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts
in Zamalek, Cairo
, under the guidance of the Egyptian artist Hussein Bikar
. In 1970, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris
.
His 30 year stay in Paris refined his talent in drawing, engraving, painting, sculpture, marionette art, novel writing, cinema and criticism. Upon a special invitation from the Society of Art Lovers in Paris, his works were selected to represent the Egyptian Pavilion at the Louvre Museum in 1999.
His painting "A Face from Egypt" won the Silver Medal award. His wood and bronze engravings have been displayed in galleries in France and Canada
. He also created two granite works during the Aswan International Symposium of Sculpture
. From 1953 to 1975, Bahgoury was also a prominent cartoonist for the two weekly Egyptian magazines Sabah Al Khair and Rose El Youssef.
He published “Three Icons", a novel which was acclaimed by prominent literary critics such as Dr. Ali Al Ra’i.e., Dr. Salah Fadl and Edwar Al Kharrat. He co-starred in a French film
. Some of his works were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art
in Amman
and the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo.
Local Exhibitions:
International Exhibitions:
Solo Shows:
Private Collections:
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
-French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Life and career
Bahgoury was born into a Coptic Christian family in LuxorLuxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
, Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
in 1932. In 1955, he studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts
The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals....
in Zamalek, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, under the guidance of the Egyptian artist Hussein Bikar
Hussein Bikar
Hussein Amin Bikar , is one of the most famous Egyptian portrait painters. His career, however, spanned a number of disciplines, notably caricature, teaching, journalism and art criticism....
. In 1970, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
His 30 year stay in Paris refined his talent in drawing, engraving, painting, sculpture, marionette art, novel writing, cinema and criticism. Upon a special invitation from the Society of Art Lovers in Paris, his works were selected to represent the Egyptian Pavilion at the Louvre Museum in 1999.
His painting "A Face from Egypt" won the Silver Medal award. His wood and bronze engravings have been displayed in galleries in France and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He also created two granite works during the Aswan International Symposium of Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
. From 1953 to 1975, Bahgoury was also a prominent cartoonist for the two weekly Egyptian magazines Sabah Al Khair and Rose El Youssef.
He published “Three Icons", a novel which was acclaimed by prominent literary critics such as Dr. Ali Al Ra’i.e., Dr. Salah Fadl and Edwar Al Kharrat. He co-starred in a French film
French Film
French Film is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Jackie Oudney and starring Anne-Marie Duff, Hugh Bonneville, Victoria Hamilton, Douglas Henshall and Eric Cantona. The film was shot in Spring 2007 at various locations around London including Waterloo station and the BFI Southbank.-Plot:Two...
. Some of his works were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
and the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo.
Exhibitions
- He staged many exhibitions in Egypt and abroad around. Some of the most important:
Local Exhibitions:
- 1976, 15th Spring Exhibition - Cairo.
- 2004, 1st Exhibition of Press Illustrations, at Palace of Arts. Cairo.
- 2005, 29th National Exhibition of Fine Arts. Cairo.
- 2006, "Ramdaniat" Exhibition at Salama Gallery - Mohandessen. Cairo.
- 2007, "Art and Grant" Exhibition at Al-Oruba Rotary Club. Cairo.
- 2007, 1st Festival of Fine Creation, "30th General Exhibition and 1st Fine Art Fair". Cairo.
- 2008, Festival of Sketches and Mini Tableaus at Shadecor Gallery - Heliopolis. Cairo.
- 2008, Caricature Exhibition at Mahmoud Saeed Center of Museums - Alexandria.
International Exhibitions:
- 1966, Venice Biennail - Italy.
- 1965, Alexandria Biennail - Egypt.
- 1977, Exhibition of the Contemporary Art - Sudan.
- 1984, Contemporary Arab Art Exhibition - Tunisia.
- 2005, 2nd International Biennail of Book Fancy - Alexandria Library. Egypt.
- 2007, "Egyptian Smiles" Exhibition - 18th Gabrufu Biennale - Bulgueria.
- 2008, 13th Aswan International Symposium of Sculpture - Egypt.
Solo Shows:
- More than 100 exhibitions all over the world. The most important done in Egypt:
- 1973, at Fine Arts Gallery - Cairo.
- 1998, at Al-Mashrabia Gallery - Cairo.
- 1996, at Al-Mashrabia Gallery - Cairo.
- 1996, at Khan Al-Maghraby Gallery - Cairo.
- 1999, at Arabesque Gallery - Cairo.
- 2000, at Picasso Gallery - Cairo.
- 2005, "Bahgoury Cafe" Exhibition, at Picasso Gallery - Cairo.
- 2007, At Nahdet Misr Gallery - Mahmoud Mukhtar Museum, Giza. Cairo.
- 2007, at Picasso Gallery, Zamalek - Cairo.
Prizes
- 1978, Prize from Biennial of Caricature. Italy.
- 1979, Honorary Prize of Comic Strip in Damscus. Syria.
- Prize and Golden Medal by Franco Characater Caricature. Spain.
Collections
State collections:- Loumansi Museum. France.
- Museum of the Modern Art. Amman.
- Museum of the Modern Egyptian Art. Cairo, Egypt.
- Al-Shouna Museum. Alexandria, Egypt.
Private Collections:
- Egyptian Embassy in France.
- Egyptian Embassy in England.