Mohamed Abla is an Egyptian artist known for his paintings of abstract sceneries in Egypt. He was born in 1953 in

Belqas Belqas ( ar, بلقاس, ) is a town located in the north-western corner of the Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt. Etymology The towns older name is al-Mima wa-l-Maaskar () points out that the modern name probably comes from . It is also a site of ...

Mansoura Mansoura (' , rural: ) is a city in Egypt, with a population of 960,423. It is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic means "victorious". The city is named after the El Mansoura Battle against Louis IX of Fr ...

in Northern Egypt, where he spent his childhood and went to school. In 1973, Abla moved to Alexandria, and joined the faculty of fine arts in the

University of Alexandria Alexandria University ( ar, جامعة الإسكندرية) is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an indepen ...

. In 1977, he graduated with a bachelor's degree and moved to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

where he was to complete obligatory

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

Career beginnings

In 1978, Abla embarked on a seven-year scholastic trip to Europe. Abla’s work was showcased for the first time in a solo exhibition at the Hohmann Gallery in northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1979, and at the AAI Gallery in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. In 1981, he studied graphics and sculpture at the Arts and Industries College in Zurich, Switzerland. Abla then studied graphics in Austria the following year.

Accomplishments

In 1985, Abla won First Prize at the 'Cairo seen by artists' exhibition. In 1996, Abla won the first prize in Kuwait Biennale and the Grand Prix at the Alexandria Biennale in 1997. Shortly after, in October 1998, he lost most of his work after his

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...

caught fire. In 2007, Abla founded The Fayoum Art Center, a space for artists to meet, work and collaborate. The center is inspired by the International Summer Academy in Salzburg where Alba teaches. It is located by

Lake Qarun Lake Moeris ( grc, Μοῖρις, genitive Μοίριδος) is an ancient lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. In prehistory, it was a freshwater lake, with an area estimated to vary between and . It persists ...

Fayoum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

, and is surrounded by mountains, sand dunes and palm trees. It is also close to Wadi Elrayan waterfall and the paleontological site Wadi Al-Hitan, which have inspired scenic artists. In 2009, Abla established the first caricature museum in the Middle East. The museum is situated in the Tunis artist colony in Fayoum, and houses a wide collection of local newspaper and magazine cartoons dating back to the early twentieth century. Its buildings were donated by Abla and designed by Egyptian architect Adel Fahmy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abla, Mohamed Living people Egyptian artists 1953 births People from Mansoura, Egypt Alexandria University alumni