Mahmoud Mukhtar ( ar, 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 ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

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 Jules-Félix Coutan (22 September 1848 – 23 February 1939) was a French sculptor and educator. Life As a student at the École des Beaux-Arts, Coutan was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1872; after his return to Paris he executed the f ...

at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He stayed in Paris through

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, eventually becoming employed at the

Musée Grévin The ''Musée Grévin'' (; ) ( en, Grévin Museum) is a wax museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee ...

under the direction of his former teacher Guillaume Laplagne. Inspired by the

Egyptian Revolution of 1919 The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 ( ''Thawra 1919'') was a countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of the ...

he sculpted a small maquette of a work called "Nadhat 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 ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

Museum

The Bride of the Nile, by Mahmoud Mukhtar

The

Mukhtar Museum ] Mukhtar Museum is a museum in Cairo, Egypt, housing the sculptures of Mahmoud Mokhtar Mahmoud Mukhtar ( ar, محمود مختار) (May 10, 1891 – March 28, 1934) was an Egyptian sculptor. He attended the College of Fine Arts in Cairo upo ...

houses Mahmoud Mokhtar's works in various media.

Legacy

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

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.

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
Egyptian sculptors Artists from Cairo 1891 births 1934 deaths 20th-century sculptors {{Egypt-bio-stub