Nevine El-Aref attends the official opening of a museum displaying the work of Egypt's most celebrated modern sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar The ancient temple-shaped building at the rear entrance of the Gezira Exhibition Grounds, neighbouring the Cairo Sporting Club and adjacent to the Galaa Bridge, is a museum dedicated to the father of modern Egyptian sculpture, Mahmoud Mokhtar. His is the story of one of Egypt's best known sculptors, someone who influenced the world of modern Egyptian art. Born in the small village of Tanbarah at the Nile Delta town of Mahala in 1891 as the son of the village mayor, Mokhtar displayed a talent for sculpting at an early age. At his uncle's house in Mansoura, he was often seen sitting on the canal bank moulding small sculptures out of mud. In 1908 he moved to Cairo to join the newly founded School of Fine Arts (SFA). Influenced by the style of French artist Guillaume Laplagne and inspired by Egyptian peasant and city life, Mokhtar created a new theme and style of sculpting that attracted the attention of the SFA's major sponsor, Prince Kamal Youssef, who in 1911 granted him a scholarship to the �âcole Des Beaux Arts in Paris. There he continued his studies under the supervision of the most renowned artists and sculptors of the day. His sculpted figure "Aida" was the first work of art ever carved by a modern Egyptian artist to be exhibited at an international exhibition in Paris. This event in 1913 made Mokhtar the first Egyptian artist in modern times to exhibit his work outside his home country and to receive international recognition. In Paris, Mokhtar met the 1919 independence leader Saad Zaghloul, who was also the leader of the Wafd Party. On arriving home, Mokhtar joined the party and dedicated much of his art to the cause of sovereignty in opposition to British occupation. According to sculptor Adam Henein, Mokhtar revived the art of ancient Egyptian sculpture with a bit of modernism that played with the light and shadow. He told Al-Ahram Weekly that Mokhtar's idealism and political nationalism inspired his art. This can be seen in several of his works, as he carved portraits of various Egyptian politicians, government leaders and prominent figures such as Saad Zaghloul, prime ministers Adli Yakan and Abdel-Khaleq Tharwat Pasha, gynaecologist and founder of the Faculty of Medicine Ali Ibrahim and seminal photographer Mohamed Hassan. His 1928 granite sculpture of "Nahdet Misr" (Egypt's Renaissance), which won a gold medal at the Salon of Paris, was his giant model created to embody Egypt's success in defeating British occupation. The statue, which is now located in front of Cairo University in Giza, depicts a peasant woman lifting her veil with one hand symbolising Egypt as she rests the other hand on a sphinx. To mark the 121st anniversary of Mokhtar's birthday, Minister of Culture Saber Arab, head of the Plastic Arts Section Salah El-Meligui and former minister of culture Emad Abu Ghazi, who is Mokhtar's grandson, officially inaugurated the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum following years of closure for renovation. El-Meligui said the walls had been cleaned and polished, while damaged parts were restored and cracks were filled. Tiles that were damaged and had deteriorated were replaced with replicas. New security, lighting and ventilation systems have been installed, while the exhibition scenario has been properly redesigned. The garden and the theatre were also renovated. The creation of a museum dedicated to Mahmoud Mokhtar dates back to the early 1930s, when the architect Ramses Wissa Wassef constructed and designed a temple-shaped residential house for Mokhtar on the Nile bank on Gezira Island. In 1952 the house was transformed into a museum to display Mokhtar's unique art works, and in 1962 the museum was inaugurated by president Gamal Abdel-Nasser. In 2003 it began a four-year renovation. The museum consists of one floor and a basement. The exhibition galleries on the first floor display 70 of Mokhtar's artworks, cement and granite portraits of Egyptian peasant performing various actions: drawing water, baking bread and holding food, along with African figures and portraits of politicians. Deeper into the bronze section lies the iconic figures room, featuring an unfinished project of 11 statues, each representing Egypt's then 11 governorates. These were supposed to be implemented on a large scale and placed in the main squares of each of the directorates. However, Mokhtar's untimely death at 43 impeded the project from being implemented. The Khamaseen room is named after one of Mokhtar's most iconic statue "Al-Khamaseen", created in 1929. It shows a woman walking against the waves of a strong wind, and symbolises the persistence of the resisters at the time of the British occupation. The details of the ripples caused by the wind on the woman's dress are very lively, lending it a very high artistic value. The main stairs leading to the basement floor of the museum are in front of the Nubian face of a Kushite man. The basement is very well designed and houses Mokhtar's mausoleum and the instruments gallery displaying the tools he used in his craft, as well as sketches of his work and some of the certificates he received through the course of his career. Arab, who was enthusiastic about the opening, described such an event as a historical moment that was witnessing the recalling of Mokhtar's spirit, culture and creativity. "Each of the pieces in this museum holds a different message for the nation and embodies Egypt's folk art and Mokhtar's intelligence in carving," Arab said. While roaming the several sections of the museum, Arab called on all Egyptians to become better connected to their origins and to be sure to pay a visit to such a great museum, which displayed not only Mokhtar's talent but a creative chapter of Egypt's history. Abu Ghazi expressed his appreciation with the renovation and said it adds more to the objects on display and helps in showing their original beauty.
