The Picasso East gallery, located in New Cairo, presents two exceptional exhibitions of painting: “Countryside” by Mounir Iskander and “Fantasia” by Sayyed Saadeddin. Mounir Iskander is a prominent Egyptian artist. Born in Cairo in 1926, he witnessed a multitude of Egyptian artists when the Egyptian art scene was at its peak, such as Hussein Bikar, Hassan Fouad and Abdel Hady Al-Gazzar. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1952. Among his mentors were Youssef Kamel and Ahmed Sabry who influenced his inclination towards realistic impressionism. Iskander has been on the art scene for more than six decades and his work is in the collection of Princeton University as well as that of the American University in Cairo. It is on permanent display at the Cairo Opera House. The artist has a unique understanding of the traditions of Egyptian society and is able to depict it with a kind of nostalgic accuracy that suits rural life, the subject for which he is best known. The exhibition continues until 20 January.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 7 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.