CAIRO - Although there were few but major tragic events this year in the fine arts, theatre and literature, a strong beam of light can be seen. We could name this year "The Year of Youth", as it witnessed a youthful invasion in all cultural fields. In the fine arts, new young artists immerged, while in the theatre young directors as well as new talents brought the audiences back. In literature, young writers voiced their protests in satirical ways in a number of political bestseller books.
Van Gogh clouds 2010
The theft from a Giza museum of a painting by Vincent van Gogh valued at $55 million was one of the tragedies of 2010. The picture was stolen when only seven out of 43 security cameras in the museum were functioning, the Public Prosecutor said. The thieves cut the painting out of its frame, the State-run Middle East News Agency reported. The 1-foot-square oil painting, entitled ‘Poppy Flowers' or ‘Vase of Flowers', is one of 304 oil paintings and 50 sculptures in the three-storey museum, built in 1920 as the residence of Egyptian art collector Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil. The most conservative estimate of the value of the collection is LE7 billion ($1.2 billion), according to a governmental website. A number of Egyptian officials have been given three-year suspended sentences over the theft in August of the painting. The head of the Culture Ministry's Fine Arts Sector, Mohssen Shaalan, and Reem Bahir, the museum's director, were among 11 people convicted of negligence. However, the thief remains at large. The search for the painting continues in Egypt and elsewhere, with the assistance of Interpol. On a happier note, Egyptian artist Mahmoud Saeed's ‘Les Chadoufs' (1934) fetched a record $2.43 million at Christie's Dubai Sale. The painting was sold in an auction of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern and Iranian art, including 25 masterpieces from the collection of the Saudi Arabian collector, Mohamed Saeed Farsi. The oil painting, which had a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 - $200,000, depicts a desert landscape with male workers dressed in turbans and statuesque veiled women carrying jars upon their heads, recalling Egypt's Pharaonic and Islamic history. It was reportedly the most expensive work of art by an Arab artist ever to be auctioned by Christie's Dubai. This month, Cairo is hosting more than 15 art exhibitions alongside the 12th International Cairo Biennale. In addition to established independent art spaces, such as the Townhouse Gallery, the Contemporary Image Collective, Espace Karim Francis and Mashrabeya, that have turned Cairo's downtown area into an arts hub, a number of newcomers have popped up, including Artellewa, Darb 1718 and Medrar for Contemporary Art. "The 12th International Cairo Biennale, which is being held in Arts Palace and the Modern Art Museum in the Cairo Opera House, in addition to some other places including the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum, is a very important event, gathering Egyptian and foreign artists from round the world," Sobhi el-Sharoni, an Egyptian art critic and journalist, told the Egyptian Mail. El-Sharoni sees that, as time passes, everything changes. "Fine art is changing. Digital art has invaded all fields. This is happening worldwide, not just in Egypt," says el-Sharoni, who has accepted this new kind of art. "I can't stand against it. We can't stand against universal change.” Many galleries have started turning the spotlight on fine arts this year, while many talented youngsters have appeared. "What is notable this year is that young artists have begun to emerge very fast, while most of the veteran artists have disappeared," says Hani Rashed, a young artist, who is currently holding an exhibition in Mashrabia Art Gallery. "Many art galleries have also opened this year; you can't miss the great artistic movement and the many exhibitions," he adds. El-Sharoni says that a lot of young artists are emerging because of the emergence of a lot of young managers and directors of art galleries. "The Art Palace, el-Gezira Art Gallery, Mahmoud Mokhtar Art Gallery and other galleries are all headed by young artists. They're all doing very well," he stresses.
