A solo exhibition by Georges Bahgory is currently on show at Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art. Entitled “A Sketch is a Sketch is a Sketch”, the exhibition showcases more than one hundred pieces demonstrating the ingenuity of the artist through his career. Drawing being an integral part of who he is, throughout his life Bahgory could never stop doing it. He drew his everyday surroundings, whether it was beautiful scenery or a cafe. Divided into different sections ranging from portraits to nudes to street scenes, the exhibition stresses Bahgory's ability to create a whole world through a simple black line. Colours add a touch of sensuality to the compositions, recalling the freedom of expression that has characterised his entire production. The accomplished France-based Egyptian painter and sculptor is also known as a cartoonist. Born in 1932 in Bahgora, a small village in Nag Hammadi, Upper Egypt, in 1953 he embarked on his career as a political cartoonist, a role that would see him featured in Sabah Al Khair and Rose El Youssef. In 1955, he studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Zamalek, Cairo, under artist Hussein Bikar. He resumed his artistic studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris in 1970. Soon thereafter, in 1975, he stopped publishing as a cartoonist. Bahgory's work has earned him many accolades, and it is on display in galleries and museums including the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art in Amman, and the Museum of Modern Art in Cairo. The exhibition continues until 17 February. *A version of this article appears in print in the 4 February , 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
