Samir Rafi (1926–2004) was an Egyptian modernist painter who combined modern style with lines inspired from Ancient Egypt. His pieces primarily represented modern Egypt and the surrounding region.Catalogue Exhibit 2014
/ref> He was inspired by

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

and

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

, creating artworks both figurative and abstract.

Biography

Samir Rafi participated to his first exhibition age 17, while he was a student of watercolour painter Shafiq Rizq. In 1944 and 1945 he takes part to the exhibitions organised by the group Art et Liberté. Samir Rafi studied at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo, where he obtained a diploma with specialisation in decorative arts in 1948. That year he joins the ''Contemporary Art Group'' movement. He then pursued a doctorate at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where he was one of

André Lhote André Lhote (5 July 1885 – 24 January 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. Early life and education Lhote was born ...

's students. Rafi taught at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo and mounted exhibitions in Egypt. He later taught arts and history in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

. One of his paintings reached the price of 87,500 GBP at a

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

sale in 2019.Christie's sale 2019
/ref>

Artworks

* Untitled, 1960, oil on canvas, 162.5 x 138 cm, sold 87,500 GPB in 2019 at Christie's *''Nus'', 1945, oil on canvas, 173 x 163 cm, collection Cheikh Hassan M. A. Al Thani *''La Sorcière'', 1946, oil on canvas, 77 x 46 cm, collection Nadim Elias * ''Momie ressuscitée'', oil on burlap laid down on panel, 1959, 215 x 68 cm, sold for 35,000 GPB in 2018 at Christie's Christie's sales
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafi, Samir 1926 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Egyptian male artists 20th-century Egyptian painters Artists from Cairo College of Fine Arts in Cairo alumni Date of birth missing Sorbonne Paris North University alumni